By Tanya Steele
A 108 kilowatt battery has been installed at the Healesville Community Link as part of the Active Energy Precints Project, in collaboration with Yarra Ranges Council, Monash University and Birdwood Energy.
Yarra Ranges Council’s Energy resilient communities officer Amy Gregorovich said once the battery has passed all its checks it will be commissioned into use.
“We’ll hopefully soak up all of the excess solar on top of the library and apply the financial benefit to the building when needed, but then also could be a part of a future microgrid moving forward,” she said.
The project aims to explore how a microgrid – a small-scale electricity system operating independently off the main power grid – can best meet the needs of communities in Healesville and Yarra Junction.
“During consultations in 2021 and 2022, energy resilience was a key priority for the majority of residents, with 53% of respondents reporting that power outages had major implants on their daily lives,” she said.
Ms Gregorovich said that the research team has really wanted community engagement to be a priority throughout the whole project, and individuals and groups like Healesville CORE have been pivotal in helping them shape what would be appropriate in both Healesville and Yarra Junction.
“People have expressed interest in being involved in taking something off the ground even looking at community ownership or governance models, which is really exciting,” she said.
Yarra Ranges Council Ryrie ward Councillor, Fiona Mcallister said the installation of the battery will help strengthen community resilience and reduce the impact of future natural disasters.
“With the frequency and intensity of storms and bushfires, it’s vital that we look at developing energy resilience solutions to protect our communities during extreme weather events,” she said.
“These microgrid will do the kind of things that really help communities keep together during power outages and natural disasters. It’s a beacon of light, both figuratively and literally, in times of need.”
Karen Roberts, President of Healesville CoRE said that they are absolutely excited that the microgrid is progressing,
“We’ve already been part of the focus group, part of the development and our role in the future moving forward will be in community engagement,” she said.
The feasibility reports are due to be publicly available in May 2023, summarising findings, and recommendations for the next steps.
A public webinar will overview this information, with the recording being made available on Yarra Ranges Council’s website.
A feasibility study for a microgrid centred at the Yarra Junction Recreation Reserve is also being conducted simultaneously.
The Bowls Club and Yarra Centre there have pre-existing battery and solar arrays in place already.
“I think if something like this were to come to fruition, it would really be something that the community are really involved with and delivers as many benefits as possible,” Ms Gregorovitch said.
