The Regional and Remote Communities Reliability Fund has just been launched to support up to fifty off-grid and fringe-of-grid communities to enable more affordable and reliable power.
The fund will allow communities to investigate whether establishing a microgrid is cost-effective, and whether existing off-grid capabilities can be upgraded with modern technology.
The $50.4 million fund will be open to applications from regional and remote communities in every state and territory.
The fund will unlock private sector and community investment in new generation and storage and enable new forms of ownership, taking proposals like the Daintree region project to investment stage.
Where feasibility studies find that microgrids are economically viable, communities can upgrade existing diesel generation or take advantage of new local generation and storage opportunities.
The fund will also guide communities towards additional support, including through the Australian Renewable Energy Agency and Clean Energy Finance Corporation.
