From 1 July 2021 Greater Shepparton City Council will be powered by 100% renewable energy. Red Energy, an Australian owned and operated retailer will provide 240GWh of clean power per year to 46 councils, equivalent to powering 48,000 homes with renewables or removing the emissions from 90,000 cars every year.
Council joined 45 other Councils to form VECO, the Victorian Energy Collaboration, and the largest emissions reductions project undertaken by the local government sector. The 46 Councils pooled their electricity needs into one long-term contract with Red Energy which will provide the VECO group with renewable energy generated from wind farms here in Victoria. From 1 July 2021, Council buildings, recreation reserves and sporting recreation facilities, streetlights, libraries and a growing number of Council electric vehicle fleet cars will be powered by 100 per cent renewable energy, this equates to over 6,300 tonnes of carbon.
“This is a positive step in reducing Council’s carbon emissions and one of several Council initiatives working towards the 2030 zero emissions target. By working with 45 other councils we are both cutting costs and carbon emissions. This is a win for the environment and rate payers pockets,” Deputy Mayor, Cr Rob Priestly said.
Council initiatives in the 2021/2022 budget include renewal of garden beds with indigenous and native plants, transition to drought tolerant grass, use of recycled bollards and park furniture, planting 100,000 plants in the One Tree Per Child Program since 2016, continued installation of solar panels and rolling out energy monitoring equipment. These projects will continue to save Council money in the long term leaving more funds available to undertake other services for the community.
