TWO solar power information sessions in Mount Gambier yesterday smashed national attendance records with more than 200 people registering for the events.
The sessions at Mount Gambier City Hall were hosted by ShineHub, which was supported by the region’s Community Action for Sustainability, the Smart Energy Council and other community partners.
ShineHub – which works as a broker between households and solar companies – is spruiking the roll-out of solar panels, storage batteries and even community-owned power generation in Mount Gambier.
Community Action for Sustainability committee member Alan Richardson yesterday welcomed the information sessions and argued the notion of community energy must be harnessed.
“Instead of us being forced to pay the exorbitant prices by the energy companies, people can get together and generate their own power and share it around,” Mr Richardson said.
He said this could be achieved if enough people installed solar and became interconnected.
“The turn-out at these sessions just shows there is a huge amount of interest,” he said.
He said the arrival of storage batteries was a game-changer given the energy produced during the day could be stored at night.
“Very few people in Mount Gambier would have storage batteries, but this will change in the future,” he said.
“The cost of batteries is coming down – they are falling on the same trajectory as solar cells.”
ShineHub co-founder Alex Georgiou – who was in Mount Gambier yesterday – said he was thrilled with the response to the information sessions.
“This is the highest registered attendance we have ever had – Mount Gambier has set the record,” Mr Georgiou said yesterday.
He said the community interest was also high because the cost of storage batteries was coming down and power prices were rising.
“Two years ago they were being sold for $25,000, it was a very niche market,” he said.
“Now the packages start just over $8000 – there has been a dramatic decrease.”
Importantly, he said there were now six businesses in the Limestone Coast that have training to install batteries.
“The batteries are extremely effective – generally you will see most of your power costs go if you have a battery,” he said.
He said it appeared people in Mount Gambier were frustrated with the system, price increases and black-outs.
“People are frustrated with the big companies making the rules.”
Mr Georgiou said his company’s community program aimed to replace big energy sources with solar and renewables.
He said this could be achieved through individuals producing their own energy through solar, connecting everyone together and establish power hubs for people who could not connect to solar.
“This power hub could be through bioenergy, solar or wind in the local community, which is generating electricity and feeding into the general network,” Mr Georgiou said.
He said islands in the south Pacific were already working towards becoming “community energy hubs”.
“You would have panels on rooftops, maybe a wind farm and solar farm with a giant community battery, which all work together to bring the most cost effective solution for energy,” he said.
He warned Mount Gambier would need to achieve its own energy hub over the next 20 years.
“ShineHub is an organisation that helps people connect solar companies and products and we also negotiate bulk discounts to make it more affordable,” he said.
People were briefed on the Free Access Solar Plan, where residents can have solar panels and a battery installed for free and they pay for the energy generated at a low rate.
