Applications are now open for the second round of the Victorian Government’s $42 million 100 Neighbourhood Batteries program, which aims to improve energy reliability for local communities and drive down energy bills.
Victorian Minister for Energy and Resources, Lily D’Ambrosio, opened the applications for the second round, which has expanded to include energy back-up systems that will improve energy reliability for local communities.
The new category aims to further improve the resilience of the communities who install them, helping them maintain an independent power source during emergencies such as storms to cook meals, charge devices and access critical information.
Larger than a household battery but smaller than grid-scale batteries, neighbourhood batteries return power into the hands of local communities – soaking up cheap and clean renewable energy when it is plentiful and dispatching it when it is needed most.
The Victorian Government said that this round will also prioritise projects that provide benefits to diverse, low income and vulnerable households, as well as outer suburbs and regional areas – helping to drive down energy bills for those who need it most.
Increased funding of up to $400,000 per project will be available, building on the first round of the 100 Neighbourhood Batteries Program, which has already funded 25 batteries across Victoria.
The funding could enable applicants to establish community hubs with energy back-up systems, such as the 26 sites funded through the Energy Resilience Solutions Program, where communities can access information, hot water and charge their devices during a prolonged power outage caused by extreme weather.
The 100 Neighbourhood Batteries program is open to councils, community groups, businesses, developers and not-for-profits. The new project readiness assessment tool can help applicants determine whether a neighbourhood battery is the right fit for their community and apply.
This round, the minimum size of each battery is 20kW/40kWh, and the maximum size of each battery is 5MW/20MWh.
Application guidelines are available at energy.vic.gov.au/grants/neighbourhood-batteries.
Ms D’Ambrosio said, “We’re making Victoria the home of batteries – delivering storage to soak-up renewable energy, improve the network, drive down bills and spread the benefits of local renewable energy even further.
“Our Neighbourhood Batteries will improve local energy network reliability, helping communities keep the lights on during storms and allow more households to drive down their bills by taking up rooftop solar.”
Image credit: doublelee/Shutterstock.com.
