Blueprint for the future: Australia's first town to go emissions-free

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This was published 8 years ago

Blueprint for the future: Australia's first town to go emissions-free

By Saffron Howden
Updated

A NSW country shire is laying the foundations for an emissions-free future as people across Australia increasingly look for ways to reduce community reliance on the grid by starting their own, locally-owned, wind and solar farms.

The state Environment Minister, Mark Speakman, will on Tuesday launch the blueprint for Uralla, near Armidale in the New England region, to become the country's first "zero net energy town".

Uralla, Australia's first town to go emissions-free

Uralla, Australia's first town to go emissions-freeCredit: Alex Pawlow

By replacing energy-sapping lights and inefficient appliances, improving home insulation, installing roof-top solar across the shire, and improving firewood collection and land management, Uralla could go up to 70 per cent of the way to achieving zero emissions. It could also collectively save 6034 residents $3 million a year.

The report, which provides a road map for other communities to follow, also suggests a number of longer-term strategies, like importing renewable energy into the shire and establishing a small, local wind farm.

Just two turbines would be needed to supply the energy needs not met by initial measures to reduce consumption and boost solar power, according to the report, which was funded by a grant from the NSW government. The blueprint does not address vehicle fuel and its associated emissions.

While Uralla is pioneering a community-wide response to rising power costs and demand for energy self-sufficiency, small groups of Australians are also challenging the notion electricity generation is the preserve of large corporations.

There are now more than 70 grassroots energy groups across Australia and 23 operating projects, including established farms like the 4.1MW Hepburn Wind in Victoria, which has two turbines.

Others are about to take off. In Lismore, on the NSW north coast, the council and a community energy organisation, Farming the Sun, are about to sign off on a project to develop two 100kW solar farms at a local sports centre and sewage treatment plant. Resident investors will loan the money to Lismore City Council to build the farms.

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Australia has been slow to develop community energy compared to countries like Germany – where almost half of the generation capacity is owned by communities or individuals – and Denmark, where small wind operatives are the norm, Nicky Ison, the founding director of Community Power Agency, said.

"We came late to the party around community energy. Australia is lagging a long way behind other countries," she said. "We have historically had very cheap coal."

But rising retail electricity prices and falling costs for solar and wind power were changing that, Ms Ison said.

Just four years ago, Australia had only two operating community energy projects. By 2015, that had ballooned to 23, with more than 70 further ventures in the works.

"There's an exponential growth," Ms Ison said. "There are now proven models that groups can work with."

Byron Bay, on the NSW north coast, has plans to also become a "zero net emissions town" and Yackandandah, in rural Victoria, is aiming to achieve "energy sovereignty" by 2022.

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