The 100 Neighbourhood Batteries Program case studies shows tangible benefits that batteries have for communities.
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Yackandandah: the small community making big strides in renewable energy
Members from Totally Renewable Yackandandah standing in front of the the inverters and switchboards for their 274 kWh neighbourhood-scale battery and its 65 kW of solar panels. Photo credits are to Totally Renewable Yackandandah.
With the support of the 100 Neighbourhood Batteries Program, the Yackandandah community is leading the way in batteries and energy
Yackandandah, situated 3 hours 23 minutes from Melbourne, with a population of 2,008 and a reputation for being one of Australia’s prettiest villages, will soon be able to lay claim to being a model for innovative energy storage technologies.
According to Matt Charles-Jones and Dr. Juliette Milbank from Totally Renewable Yackandandah (TRY), "we are very firmly fixed on 100% renewable energy and have made some great gains."
This is where the 100 Neighbourhood Batteries Program and its battery grants have been crucial. Next April 2025, TRY will install a 60kW/200kWh neighbourhood-scale battery, which the town is very excited about. 'Having more storage is a big factor in trying to level out daytime generation and nighttime demand,' Milbank said.
Located at the Yackandandah Sports Park, the battery will not only support the local sporting clubs and on-site recreation activities, but it will also provide valuable facilities during power outages.
'The battery provides multiple benefits: reducing carbon pollution, cutting energy costs, and enhancing resilience. For us, the battery has benefits on those 3 things.'
This success hasn’t been achieved without significant community dedication. 'This is just another manifestation of the spirit of the community. And it’s a very significant piece in the puzzle, Charles-Jones said.
Yet, the renewable energy vision for Yackandandah extends well beyond these immediate gains. The community aims to create a scenario where 'energy is not something done to us, but something done by us'.
And once the battery is operating, they’ll shift their focus to what lies ahead. 'We need to understand how batteries at all scales work in the energy system,' they said, highlighting the importance of adaptability in an evolving technological landscape.
Across Victoria towns are seeking to increase their generation and use of local renewable energy, and batteries are a key enabler of this.
'The rate of change in battery technology is so rapid that we need to know how to use them, so as the technology develops, we are ready to apply the learnings for great consumer and environmental outcomes.'
At the heart of Yackandandah's renewable energy strategy is a commitment to effectively managing fluctuating renewable energy sources. 'It’s about managing an energy source that is intermittent so we can save power when it’s plentiful and use it when it’s not,' they said.
Yackandandah’s efforts show how small communities can drive significant progress in renewable energy. With their pioneering approach and community spirit, Yackandandah is not just imagining a sustainable future, they're building it.
Project partners: Indigo Power, Australian Ethical Sports Park Committee, Yack Community Centre,
Start date: July 2024
Expected completion: April 2025
Battery location: Yackandandah Sports Park, Indigo Shire Council
Battery sizing: 60kW/200kWh
Chemistry and configuration: Lithium iron phosphate, behind-the-meter battery
'This [Yack02 project] is just another manifestation of the spirit of the community. And it’s a very significant piece in the energy puzzle.'
Dr Juliette Milbank – Vice President, TRY
Organisation description
Totally Renewable Yackandandah (TRY) is an award-winning, community-focused volunteer organisation based in the regional Victorian town of Yackandandah, who are pushing the boundaries of sustainably sourced, local energy supply.
Project description
TRY will work closely with community-owned energy company Indigo Power and Indigo Shire Council to install an islandable 60kW/200kWh battery at the Yackandandah Sports Park. The battery will support the local sporting clubs and recreation activities that occur on site, save on operating costs, and can provide back-up energy in times of a power outage.
Why a battery is needed
The battery will increase the breadth of Yackandandah’s renewable energy projects in the shift to clean, local power. It will expand the number of batteries in the local network and will also activate a complimentary, and separately funded, activity of installing 60kW of solar panels at the Sports Park. The new battery, combined with the extra solar generation and an islanding capability, will also allow the facility to continue operating in the event of a power outage, providing energy resilience in times of emergency.
Benefits
Reduced power bills for the Sports Park, so funds can be reallocated to other much-needed improvements around the site.
Decreased carbon emissions from the Sports Park operations by reducing its reliance on coal-powered energy.
Supporting the drive by Yackandandah to 100% renewable energy.
Provided a site of electricity services during prolonged power outages and in the aftermath of a fire, storm or flood.
Project facts
Lead organisation: Indigo Power (IP)
Project partners: Northeast Water
Name of the project: Wodonga Neighbourhood Battery
Start date: June 2024
Expected completion date: August 2025
Number of batteries: 1
Battery locations: Baranduda
Battery sizing: 50kW/200kWh
Chemistry and configuration: Lithium Iron Phosphate, behind the meter.
'Indigo Power is a certified social enterprise, owned by the community as a part of a shareholder offering, so our business needs to closely align to the values of our customers. One of those values is to deliver 100% renewable energy, which this battery will help us to do.'
Heath Shakespeare, Project Manager, Indigo Power
Organisation description
IP is a community owned renewable energy company driving the transition to clean energy across northeast Victoria and southern New South Wales. IP’s purpose is to create a society powered by 100% renewable energy in a way that supports and empowers communities.
Project description
IP will install a neighbourhood battery with a capacity of 50kW/200kWh. It will be connected to the electricity grid ‘behind the meter’ through an existing high-capacity connection point. IP will operate on a solar soak model using solar generated electricity supplied by Indigo Power’s customers during the day and exporting the energy when there is demand for it during the evening peak.
IP will use the battery to reduce wholesale costs and pass all savings on to retail customers via increased Feed in Tariff (FiT) and/or decreased retail tariffs.
Why a battery is needed
The battery will develop and test an innovative commercial community battery model, contributing to the emerging knowledge base of operational models and revenue generation for neighbourhood scale batteries.
Benefits
Reduce electricity costs for all IP customers, including low-income households, renters, and apartments through an increased FiT and/or decreased retail tariffs.
Assessment of the ability of neighbourhood-scale battery storage to contribute to the electrification and decarbonisation of Northeast Water’s operations, providing a proof of concept for other water utility operations.
Improved network reliability.
Reduction of local solar export limitations.
Project Facts
Lead organisation: GV Community Energy
Name of the project: Resilient Community Organisations
Partner organisations:
Merriwa Industries
Moyola Aged Care
Start date: July 2024
Expected completion date: March 2025
Number of batteries: 2
Battery locations:
Moyola Aged Care, Greater City of Shepparton
Merriwa Industries, Rural City of Wangaratta
Battery sizing: 8 Tesla 2 Powerwalls connected in series at each site.
Chemistry and configuration: Lithium-ion, behind-the-meter, islandable.
Organisation description
GV Community Energy(GVCE) is a social enterprise not for profit community owned company, committed to reducing the carbon footprint of north and north-east Victoria since 2008. GVCE has coordinated the installation of over 3,800 domestic solar PV systems and 50 commercial systems, 150 solar hot water systems, 2,700 energy assessments, 1,000 home energy efficient retrofits and 194 community seminars/workshops.
Merriwa is an organisation operating as a social enterprise since the mid-1990s. One of Merriwa’s core values is diversity, something it lives and breathes on a daily basis through its people and business operations and employs an all-abilities team of over 300.
Moyola Aged Care offers caring and compassionate residential aged-care and respite-care services with 43 beds, and 36 independent living units at its Moyola Gardens facility for the people of Tatura and the wider community.
Project description
The project will deliver 2 behind the meter islandable neighbourhood batteries, supplied and installed by Future NRG, at 2 not-for-profit community sites across Victoria: Moyola Aged Care and Merriwa Industries.
These batteries will reduce energy operating costs by storing excess solar electricity generated on site, for use later in the day to displace electricity sourced from the grid.
They will allow Moyola Aged Care and Merriwa Industries to re-invest these financial savings into site upgrades for workers with disabilities and aged care residents. Merriwa Industries will use these savings to provide site upgrades to workers with accessibility needs as well as bus transport for workers in the Alpine region.
Moyola Aged Care will reinvest these savings into a sensory garden for the benefit of its dementia patient residents.
Why a battery is needed
The batteries will be in the Shepparton and Wangaratta areas that experience frequent energy outages. They will provide onsite energy reliability to Merriwa and Moyola and assist in stabilising electricity services to the surrounding network to assisting in minimising local outages and reliability issues.
Battery backup power will allow Moyola Aged Care to continue to provide care to its residents as usual and allow Merriwa Industries to continue operating in the event of power outages.
Additionally, the sites need the batteries for operational planning to allow each organisation to increase the level of care and quality of life to their respective workers and residents.
Benefits
The battery will provide:
energy cost savings to the sites
increased energy resilience at both sites allowing them to operate during outages for certain periods
funds for a dementia-friendly sensory garden at the Moyola Aged Care.
funds for site accessibility upgrades for workers at the social enterprise Merriwa Industries
funds for a specialised bus for transport for Merriwa Industries employees in the Alpine region.
