Swan Hill Rural City Council is leading the way as one of 47 Victorian Councils to form Australia’s largest ever buying group to switch to 100% renewable energy.
47 Victorian Councils have come together to drive investment in renewable energy, resulting in pooling 238GWh of electricity. This is the equivalent to powering 44,500 homes with renewable energy or taking 82,800 cars off the road each year.
It is the largest ever emissions reduction project undertaken by local government in Australia, aggregating approximately 47% of all Victorian Council electricity to switch to 100% renewable energy.
Director of Corporate Services Joel Lieschke said it was a really exciting opportunity to help with investment in renewables in Victoria, while increasing energy stability, reducing retail energy prices and reducing our Council’s energy bills.
“Victoria has some of the best renewable energy resources in the world, including wind and solar and this Local Government Power Purchasing Agreement Project means we are able to harness those benefits,” he added.
Participant Councils will be using renewable energy to power municipal offices, leisure centres, streetlights and community buildings.
The project highlights that large scale co-operation and collaboration is possible to transition to a renewable energy future and address climate change.
The project has been initiated and facilitated by the Victorian Greenhouse Alliances and Darebin City Council.
The project is set to start on 1 July 2021.
