The Yarra Valley Community Power Hub was officially launched over the weekend, encouraging the region to embrace renewable, locally sourced energy, PV Magazine reported.
The Community Power Hub brings together seven renewable energy suppliers from across Yarra Valley and the ranges to drive renewable energy ventures within the community. With the assistance of $428,500 in funding from the Victorian Government, the project’s goal is to reduce the community’s carbon footprint and encourage the uptake of locally sourced, sustainable energy.
Healesville Community Renewable Energy (Healesville CoRE) is one of the green energy projects that forms Yarra Valley’s hub. President of Healesville CoRE, Jeff Barlow, is leading the Yarra Valley Community Hub as executive officer.
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“We are at the beginning of an energy revolution in Australia. We are moving away from centralised delivery of fossil fuel-derived electricity and moving towards more sustainable, locally produced, locally stored and locally distributed energy,” Barlow said.
The Yarra Valley Community Power Hub is the first of seven community hubs to be launched across the state following a $3.73 million government funding injection through Sustainability Victoria. The projects are set to be launched in Hume, Grampians, Loddon Mallee, Barwon South West and Gippsland. The rollout of these community hubs is a step towards establishing more self-sufficient regions, and reducing the impacts of climate change.
The community hubs will assist local groups in establishing energy projects well into the future, Barlow said.
“This will create a feeling of empowerment for the community, which can reduce its carbon footprint, its energy costs, while creating new jobs and keeping more money within the community.”
“The official launch is an exciting time for everyone who has worked so hard on the Hub’s formation,” Barlow said.
