<
https://onestepoffthegrid.com.au/pioneering-solar-garden-prepares-for-its-first-harvest/>
"By the side of the highway in Grong Grong, in the NSW Riverina region,
Australia’s first solar garden is almost ready to harvest.
The development is expected to deliver a bounty to 175 solar gardeners within
weeks in the form of credits on their electricity bills.
But developers and energy experts hope the 1.5 megawatt project delivers a lot
more: namely, a new option for renters and apartment dwellers around Australia
who have been locked out of the solar market.
Work on the Haystacks Solar Garden began in January 2020, based on similar
developments that have proven popular in the United States and Germany.
Community Power Agency project director Kim Mallee said the concept for the
project was to extend the experience of owning rooftop solar panels to people
who had been locked out of the market.
The group includes people who rent their homes, those who live in apartments,
and others with heritage-listed or shady roofs.
“What we really wanted to be able to demonstrate was what it would look and
feel like for somebody who doesn’t have a sunny roof… for them to invest
directly in solar and get that benefit on their electricity bill,” Ms Mallee
told AAP.
“That’s the model we were trying to mimic.”
Achieving that result had taken four years, two energy retailers and an
innovative approach to regulatory hurdles, Ms Mallee said.
One-hundred-and-seventy-five investors, known as solar gardeners, helped to
fund the project, along with a grant from the NSW government Regional Community
Energy Fund and equity from the Grong Grong Solar Farm."
Disclosure: I own shares of Grong Grong Solar Farm.
Share and enjoy,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
