Community solar programs

Several alliances run solar PV programs that achieve broader community benefits when helping households  buy reliable solar systems. In Melbourne, the Eastern Alliance for Greenhouse Action (EAGA) leads the Solar Savers program, installing 165 solar PV installations for low income households since 2019. The Central Victorian Greenhouse Alliance (CVGA) delivers the MASH program for households in central and northern Victoria. Started in 2014, MASH has installed over 5MW of solar PV on residential buildings and has donated over $200,000 worth of solar and batteries to community facilities. Councils can contact the Executive Officers at EAGA and CVGA for further information.

Victorian Climate Resilient Councils 

 The Western Alliance for Greenhouse Action leads this program to support the local government sector to respond to, and plan for the impacts of climate change on council operations, assets and local communities. The program is designed to build capacity across the sector to implement sustained and coordinated responses to climate change risks and provide flexibility to meet the needs and local contexts of individual councils. It is funded by the Australian Government in partnership with the States and Territories under the National Partnership Agreement for Disaster Risk Reduction

Business Renewables Buying Group

The Business Renewables Buying Group is a council-led procurement process for medium to large electricity consumers to enter into renewable energy Power Purchase Agreements (PPA). This project is being led by the City of Yarra, with support from the Greenhouse Alliances, and being rolled out across Victoria. The approach will build on the first successful phase of the program delivered in 20222/23 and leverage the experience of Councils gained through the successful Melbourne Renewable Energy Project (MREP), MREP 2, and Victorian Electricity Collaboration projects.

Neighbourhood Battery Initiatives 

The Victorian Greenhouse Alliances are partners in two projects to create detailed business cases and project plans for neighbourhood batteries in council-selected locations. The respective regional and metropolitan projects secured funding through round three of the Victorian Government’s Neighbourhood Battery Initiative (NBI). 22 councils are participating in the metropolitan project and 18 in the regional. The business cases will be delivered by July 2024, with a focus on maximising community benefits at the various sites.