South coast residents have taken the climate crisis fight into their own hands with the successful funding of a community solar farm that will play a key role in providing the City of Sydney with 100% renewable electricity.
Following the launch of the $5 million Shoalhaven solar farm, City of Sydney CEO Monica Barone said the City of Sydney was proud to have played a part in the extraordinary achievement.
“This project is what people power looks like and we’re delighted to be part of that process. This is a perfect example of a local community looking at the climate crisis and asking ‘what can we do?’, and the City of Sydney is proud to support them.”
The Shoalhaven community solar farm was developed in partnership with Flow Power – the energy retailer who provides the City of Sydney with 100 per cent renewable electricity.
On completion, the 3-megawatt Shoalhaven solar farm will have around 10,000 panels and generate enough energy to power 1,500 homes.
“When the City of Sydney switched to 100 per cent renewable electricity last year, we did so by signing an innovative, first of its kind, $60 million power purchase agreement with Flow Power,” Ms Barone said.
“The agreement not only means that all of our operations run on 100 per cent renewable electricity, at a saving of half a million dollars a year, but we’re also actively contributing to developments like this regional NSW renewable energy initiative.”
The City of Sydney also purchases renewable energy from Sapphire wind farm in Glen Innes and Bomen solar farm in Wagga Wagga through its agreement with Flow Power.
The Shoalhaven community solar farm will join the Glen Innes and Wagga Wagga solar farms in providing energy to the City of Sydney when complete.
The City of Sydney has helped subsidise the Shoalhaven solar farm’s renewable certificates cost, allowing the farm to sell off some of its surplus power at a competitive rate to local customers.
“The Shoalhaven community solar farm is an important renewable energy partner for the City of Sydney and we look forward to it becoming operational,” Ms Barone said.
“Once online, it will play a vital role as one of three wind and solar farms generating renewable electricity to power 100 per cent of the City of Sydney’s electricity needs.”
Flow Power CEO Matthew van der Linden said the Shoalhaven solar farm would provide a model and roadmap for other Australian communities looking to get their own renewable projects off the ground.
“The Shoalhaven community solar farm is the first renewable energy project of its kind in Australia. These projects present a challenge, but the rewards are immense,” Mr Van der Linden said.
“We’re incredibly grateful for the support of visionary organisations like the City of Sydney, who recognise, not only the cost and sustainability benefits for themselves, but the flow on effects for other communities.
“If organisations can follow in the City of Sydney’s footsteps, a net-zero carbon future is achievable.”
All the City of Sydney’s electrical operations – including street lights, sports fields, depots, buildings and the historic Sydney Town Hall – have been run on 100 per cent renewable electricity since June 2020.
The switch to renewable electricity is projected to save the organisation up to half a million dollars a year over the next nine years, and reduce CO2 emissions by around 20,000 tonnes a year – the equivalent to the power consumption of more than 6,000 households.
The Shoalhaven project has been developed by Flow Power in partnership with local community group Repower Shoalhaven, a not-for-profit volunteer community enterprise that develops community solar projects.
The Shoalhaven community solar farm is scheduled to be finished by December.
