After receiving bipartisan support in the lead up to the 2022 Victorian State Election, the Borough of Queenscliffe was nominated as a priority area for the Victorian Government's 100 Neighbourhood Batteries Program.
The program's objective is to increase renewable energy storage capacity for local communities. Neighbourhood batteries - also known as community batteries - improve energy reliability and maximise the benefits of locally generated solar power. The batteries function as solar sponges, increasing local access to cheap renewable energy.
Recent power outages across Victoria have highlighted the need for more locally generated energy combined with local storage solutions to support communities as the strain on the grid and the impacts of climate change continue to increase.
Council was approached by the Distributed Energy team of Mondo - a company pioneering in community mini-grids and energy hubs that empower homes and businesses to generate, manage, store, and share energy, and Queenscliffe Climate Action Now in late 2023 with a proposal for Mondo to make an application to the 100 Neighbourhood Batteries program. Mondo proposed a renewable energy storage solution for Point Lonsdale and Queenscliff which includes 100kW/250kWh batteries with a 2m x 1.3m footprint, (similar in size to three to four refrigerators standing side by side) in four separate locations across the Borough.
If the application is successful, Council has agreed to facilitate the use of Council managed land to accommodate the batteries. Council is pleased to support the initiative because it delivers on the objectives of the community's Climate Emergency Response Plan and supports the growing generation of renewable energy via rooftop solar systems by our community.
The Victorian Government is expected to announce successful applicants in late February or March 2024.
If the Queenscliffe application is successful, Mondo and Council will work together to host a community information session to share the plans and next steps for the project.
