Country town creates their own energy source

ABC NEWS (Australia)

A small Victorian town's dream to create their own energy source is now a reality. Newstead in the central highlands has become the first town in Victoria to open its own solar farm.

Transcript

00:00It's a farm 16 years in the making.

00:06It's been such a long journey and it's been very fruitful, yeah it's great, it's a really

00:12In 2008, a handful of Newstead residents had a unique dream, to create their own solar

00:19energy source.

00:20I was looking for projects that were bigger than footy clubs and stuff.

00:24The opportunity to work together on an interesting, exciting, challenging program was quite stimulating.

00:29A decade after their first meetings, the group was given a state government grant

00:33of a million dollars.

00:34And that was really the stimulus to really take the project to the state that it's in

00:40today.

00:41They found a farmer to lease them land and a tender was put to any companies interested.

00:45We just kept figuring out ways to solve some of those challenges and problems along the

00:49way.

00:50The result is this 6 acre farm with 72 3 megawatt panels and 5 megawatt batteries that can be

00:57used to store the energy and then send to the grid for residents to use if they choose.

01:02People aren't marching up and down the streets of Newstead saying this is the best thing

01:06since sliced bread, but I think there is strong support.

01:11The farm is the first community driven solar project of its kind in Victoria, capable of

01:16powering 1,200 homes.

01:18This farm would power Newstead at least twice over.

01:22I'd like to see a lot more Newsteads happening.

01:24Given this is the first of its kind in Victoria, the Newstead locals have told me that other

01:29community groups from towns across Australia dealing with soaring energy prices have come

01:35to them asking how they can create something similar.

01:39You've got to work together, that's the most important thing.

01:42The project has created lifelong friends and an energy source they hope lasts even longer.

01:54For more UN videos visit www.un.org

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