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What is a neighbourhood battery?
- A neighbourhood battery is an electricity storage system. It is also known as a community battery or mid-scale battery.
- Neighbourhood batteries enable you to generate, store and consume your own renewable energy.
- Larger than household solar batteries, and smaller than utility scale battery.
Objectives of the 100 Neighbourhood Batteries Program
The Victorian Government is funding these grants to:
- pass on benefits from local renewable energy and energy storage to consumers. This includes lowering household energy bills
- increase energy reliability
- reduce costs of network upgrades
- support communities to contribute to Victoria’s energy transition
- scale up the delivery of operational models for neighbourhood-scale batteries.
Who can apply for the 100 Neighbourhood Batteries Program
The following organisations can apply for funding:
- public entities
- private sector businesses and agencies
- educational institutions
- local government authorities
- co-operatives
- not for profit organisations.
Benefits of a neighbourhood battery
Neighbourhood batteries can mean:
- access to renewable energy
- lower residential power bills
- the ability to generate revenue
- a more reliable electricity supply for consumers*
- a contribution to Victoria’s energy transition
- a solution for managing energy supply and demand in low voltage networks
- the ability to store and use renewable energy all year round.
*Reliability in the electricity system means a system delivering electricity with minimal interruptions or failures over a period of time.
Resilience is the network’s ability to continue to adequately provide network services and recover those services when subjected to disruptive events.
A neighbourhood battery when combined with solar panels, a generator and switching equipment, can provide resilience.
In front of the meter versus behind the meter
The 100 Neighbourhood Batteries Program funds:
- ‘in front of the meter’ batteries
- ‘behind the meter’ batteries
- hybrid configurations that combine elements of both.
In front of the meter
In front of meter refers to batteries located outside or in front of the utility meter. For neighbourhood batteries this means:
- they are located outside of homes or properties
- they are connected directly to the local electricity network
- the energy stored in them is used to supply the grid or distributed to various customers
- they can be owned by energy providers, councils or communities.
Behind the meter
Behind the meter refers to batteries located on the customer’s side of the utility meter. For neighbourhood batteries this means:
- they store and consume energy separately from the grid
- they are connected to the same meter as other generation or load, such as a rooftop solar system and a building
- generation, consumption, storage, and management of energy is located on-site
- they are owned by individual customers, businesses, or third-party service providers.
Alternatives to neighbourhood batteries
There are alternatives to a neighbourhood battery, depending on its purpose. Alternatives that could be cheaper and/or more straight forward, include:
- improved energy efficiency
- solar bulk buys
- household battery bulk buys
- purchasing GreenPower
- speaking to your local Distribution Network Service Provider about solutions to network issues.
Current funded 100 Neighbourhood Batteries projects
Round 1 projects
Funding (of up to $300,000 per battery) for project(s) that:
- implement one or more neighbourhood battery(s) (including installation and commissioning)
- demonstrate quantified benefits for both the electricity network and local electricity consumers
- include a minimum 30% cash co-contribution
- each battery must be a chemical battery of a minimum size 25 kW/ 50 kWh and maximum 5M W/ 10 MWh
- will complete project delivery by 1 August 2025.
AusNet’s 10 LV Pole-Mounted Batteries
Lead applicant: AusNet
Number of batteries: 10
Location/s
- Coldstream
- Diamond Creek
- Ferntree Gully
- Heathmont
- Knoxfield
- Lysterfield
- Smiths Beach
- Traralgon
- Wantirna
- Wantirna South
AusNet will install 10 low voltage (LV) pole-mounted batteries across their distribution network, which includes Melbourne metropolitan and regional areas. Batteries will be deployed as an alternative solution to traditional network augmentation, delivering both customer and network benefits.
Status: In progress
- Funding (of up to $300,000 per battery) for project(s) that:
- implement one or more neighbourhood battery(s) (including installation and commissioning)
- demonstrate quantified benefits for local electricity consumers
- include a minimum 10% cash co-contribution
- each battery must be a chemical battery of a minimum size 50 kW/ 100 kWh and maximum 5 MW/ 10 MWh
- will complete project delivery by 1 August 2025.
Phillip Island Neighbourhood Batteries
Lead applicant: Mondo Power
Number of batteries: 7
Location/s: Phillip Island
Mondo Power will deploy 7 neighbourhood batteries on Phillip Island. Once commissioned, a portion of the batteries’ operating income will be allocated annually to community-focused initiatives in collaboration with Bass Coast Shire and community group Totally Renewable Phillip Island (TRPI).
Status: In progress
Queenscliff Neighbourhood Batteries
Lead applicant: Mondo Power
Number of batteries: 4
Location/s: Queenscliff
Mondo Power will deliver 4 neighbourhood batteries on council-managed land in the Borough of Queenscliffe. Once commissioned, the batteries will be owned and operated by Mondo Power. All sites will enable higher levels of rooftop solar penetration and each system is expected to deliver community benefits tailored to that location.
Status: In progress
Wodonga Neighbourhood Battery
Lead applicant: Indigo Power
Project partner: North East Region Water Corporation
Number of batteries: 1
Location/s: Baranduda
Indigo Power will install a neighbourhood battery at a water treatment plant in Baranduda within the City of Wodonga. The system will be connected to the electricity grid ‘behind-the-meter’ through an existing high-capacity connection point, so the battery will operate as an effective solar soak.
Status: In progress
Yack02 – Powered and Empowered
Lead applicant: Totally Renewable Yackandandah (TRY)
Project Partner: Indigo Power
Number of batteries: 1
Location/s: Yackandandah
With Indigo Shire Council and the volunteer committee, Totally Renewable Yackandandah will install a neighbourhood battery at the Yackandandah Sports Park. This installation aims to boost the proportion of ‘low carbon’ power in the network each evening, reduce power bills, and support increased solar generation. Critically, the battery will also be able to power site backup loads during outages or emergencies.
Status: In progress
GVCE – Resilient Community Organisations
Lead applicant: GV Community Energy (GVCE)
Project Partner/s:
- Future NRG
- Moyola Aged Care
- Merriwa Industries
Number of batteries: 2
Location/s:
- Tatura
- Wangaratta
GVCE will deliver 2 neighbourhood batteries
Round 2 projects
The Salvation Army Neighbourhood Battery Program
Lead applicant:The Trustee for the Salvation Army (Victoria) Property Trust
Number of batteries: 22
Locations:
- Bairnsdale
- Ballarat
- Bendigo
- Boronia
- Box Hill
- Camberwell
- Corio
- Craigieburn
- Dandenong
- Leongatha
- Maryborough
- Melbourne
- Mildura
- Mooroolbark
- Preston
- Ringwood
- St Kilda
- Warrnambool
- West Melbourne
The Salvation Army will install neighbourhood batteries on 22 sites including Salvos Stores, Foodbanks, Domestic Violence Refuges, Emergency Crisis Accommodation, Drug and Alcohol Rehabilitation Centres and community centres.
Status: In progress
Rotary House Warrnambool Enlighten Battery
Lead applicant: South West Healthcare Project
Number of batteries: 1
Locations: Warrnambool
South West Healthcare will install an islandable neighbourhood battery on Rotary House Warrnambool, a 12-unit community emergency accommodation facility.
Status: In progress
The Cricket Albury Wodonga (Big) Neighbourhood Battery
Lead applicant: Indigo Power
Number of batteries: 1
Locations: Wodonga
Indigo Power will install a neighbourhood battery at Cricket Albury Wodonga to maximise renewable energy sharing within the Wodonga Community Energy Hub and contribute to a retail hedging strategy that reduces customer electricity costs.
Status: In progress
Monash Operations Centre Neighbourhood Battery
Lead applicant: Monash City Council
Number of batteries: 1
Locations: Notting Hill
Monash City Council will install a neighbourhood battery at the Monash Operations Centre (MOC) in Notting Hill that will fund community electrification and support energy resilience and local emergency response services.
Status: In progress
Community benefits from battery at Mullum Mullum Stadium
Lead applicant: Manningham City Council
Number of batteries: 1
Locations: Donvale
Manningham City Council will install a neighbourhood battery at Mullum Mullum Stadium which will be utilised in emergencies as a regional centre for community to gather as place of last resort.
Status: In progress
Community Charge - Community facilities leading the energy transition
Lead applicant: Yarra City Council
Number of batteries: 4
Locations
- Alphington
- Fairfield
- Fitzroy North
Yarra City Council will install neighbourhood batteries at 4 City of Yarra community facilities to allow these sites to act as local renewable energy generation stations, storing solar energy in the day, then supplying that energy into the local electricity network when it is most needed.
Status: In progress
Donald Community Power Plant
Lead applicant: Grampians Wimmera Mallee Water
Number of batteries: 1
Locations: Donald
Grampians Wimmera Mallee Water will install a front-of-meter battery that will combine with an onsite solar system to generate revenue and offer a retail electricity product to the Donald community to provide household electricity bill reductions.
Status: In progress
Housing Choices Australia - Neighbourhood Batteries Program
Lead applicant: Origin Energy
Number of batteries: 6
Locations
- Preston
- Bellmont
- Pascoe Vale
- North Melbourne
- Hampton East
- Carnegie
Origin Energy will install neighbourhood batteries in Housing Choices Australia's apartment blocks to optimise energy usage and lower energy bills for Housing Choices Australia tenants.
Status: In progress
Y Discovery Camps - Powering Tomorrow's Leaders
Lead applicant: YMCA Camping
Number of batteries: 6
Locations
- Glenmore
- Falls Creek
- Mount Eliza
- Mount Evelyn
- Myrniong
- Anglesea
YMCA Camping will install neighbourhood batteries to electrify camp operations, integrate existing solar PV systems, provide green education to the community and enhance energy resilience and sustainability across the grid in the regions.
Status: In progress
ICMG Dandenong – Sustainable future program
Lead applicant: Islamic Community Milli Gorus Dandenong
Number of batteries: 1
Locations: Dandenong
Islamic Community Milli Gorus Dandenong will install a neighbourhood battery on their community centre to reduce reliance on traditional power sources, lower energy costs, and contribute to a greener future for Dandenong and its community.
Status: In progress
Solar upgrade and battery installation St Albans community centre
Lead applicant: The Trustee for Mata Chintapurni Arts/Culture & Education Trust
Number of batteries: 1
Locations: St Albans
The Trustee for Mata Chintapurni Arts/Culture & Education Trust will install a neighbourhood battery and solar panels at the St Albans Hindu temple and Community Centre to enhance local renewable energy use, provide energy resilience to the community, and reduce operational costs associated with electricity consumption.
Status: In progress
Sporting Energy Resilience Centres in Nillumbik
Lead applicant: Nillumbik Shire Council
Number of batteries: 1
Locations: Hurstbridge
Nillumbik Shire Council will install a solar PV and neighbourhood battery system at a sporting pavilion in Hurstbridge to enable community run energy resilience centre during power outages
Status: In progress
Queenscliff Resilience Battery
Lead applicant: Borough of Queenscliffe
Number of batteries: 1
Locations: Queenscliff
The Borough of Queenscliffe will install a neighbourhood battery at the Monahan Centre to form a microgrid across several buildings and provide back-up power during network outages.
Status: In progress
Koo Wee Rup Community Centre & Bunyip Hall Energy Resilience
Lead applicant: Cardinia Shire Council
Number of batteries: 2
Locations:
- Bunyip
- Koo Wee Rup
Cardinia Shire Council will install neighbourhood batteries at council-owned facilities in Koo Wee Rup Community Centre and Bunyip Hall to facilitate community relief during network outages and emergencies with both sites having significant outages in previous extreme weather events.
Status: In progress
Powering Resilience in the Regions (PRITR)
Lead applicant: Central Victorian Greenhouse Alliance
Number of batteries : 11
Locations:
- Pomonal
- Trentham
- Newborough
- Churchill
- Bonnie Doon
- Castlemaine
- Marysville
- Korumburra
- Benalla
- Bright
- Wendouree
Central Victorian Greenhouse Alliance will create 11 community energy resilience hubs by installing behind the meter energy backup systems on council-owned public facilities to improve energy resilience in rural and regional areas that experience electrical outages and are increasingly exposed to climate-related extreme weather events impacting local energy infrastructure and reliability.
Status: In progress
Tarwin Lower Recreation Reserve Community Battery
Lead applicant: Venus Bay Community Centre
Number of batteries: 1
Locations: Tarwin Lower
Venus Bay Community Centre will install a battery back-up system to deliver resilient, reliable energy during normal operations and outages, maintaining critical services and aiding disaster recovery, and providing routine and emergency support to enhance community resilience.
Status: In progress
Energy Resilient Powelltown
Lead applicant: Powelltown Sporting Club
Number of batteries: 1
Locations: Powelltown
Powelltown Sporting Club will install a battery system at the Powelltown Sporting Pavilion, ensuring 72 hours of back-up power during outages and emergencies and supporting the viability of sporting clubs and local health initiatives.
Status: In progress
Trafalgar Golf Course Resilience Project
Lead applicant: Gippsland Climate Change Network
Number of batteries: 1
Locations: Trafalgar
Gippsland Climate Change Network will install a back up system that will establish the Trafalgar Golf Club as a resilience site to provide a location to house people and provide food, energy and communications during power outages.
Status: In progress
Enhancing Pyalong Community Energy Resilience and Security
Lead applicant: Mitchell Shire Council
Number of batteries: 1
Locations: Pyalong
Mitchell Shire Council will install a back-up system on the Pyalong Recreation Reserve hall, which functions as an emergency relief centre during and after emergency events such as floods, storms, bushfires, or power outages.
Status: In progress
Building Resilience and Sustainability for Reefton Fire Station and communities
Lead applicant: Country Fire Authority
Number of batteries: 1
Locations: Warburton
The Country Fire Authority will install a back-up system at Reefton Fire Station to provide a source of reliable power during outages with the intention of allowing the station to serve as a community hub in emergencies.
Status: In progress
Page last updated: 13/03/25