Community Power Hubs – Funded projects
A Community Power Hub is a collective of groups and organisations working together to develop and deliver community energy projects across a region.
The $3.73 million Community Power Hubs program accelerated Victoria’s transition to a renewable energy future. Based in each of Victoria’s regions, the hubs worked closely with their communities to offer trusted advice on clean energy solutions and supported, developed and delivered locally owned, cost-effective renewable energy projects.
The program aimed to:
- increase the access to and involvement in community renewable energy throughout Victoria
- reduce greenhouse gas emissions
- increase community support for renewable energy
- enable local economic benefits to be realised through cost savings for communities and support for local renewable energy jobs.
It empowered communities to be active participants in planning and decisions around the transition to renewable energy and enabled local environmental, social and economic benefits to be realised, including cost savings for local communities. It also boosted Victoria’s renewable energy capacity and worked towards meeting Victoria’s target of zero carbon emissions by 2050
The delivery of this program to each region in Victoria was an expansion of the successful 3-year Community Power Hubs Pilot Program, which developed 3 hubs in Ballarat, Bendigo and the Latrobe Valley from 2017.
Fund recipients
Funds were awarded to organisations to establish and operate a Community Power Hub in their region and deliver renewable energy projects that were ready to implement.
The regional Community Power Hubs were successful in securing funding for community energy projects at 16 sites and are supporting these sites to have solar energy systems installed.
Geelong Sustainability Group – Barwon South West
Funding: $428,400
Read more about the group's Community Power Hub.
Implementation ready project
Geelong YMCA
60kW solar PV
Funding: $63,082
Gippsland Climate Change Network – Gippsland
Funding: $428,400
Read more about the Gippsland Community Power Hub.
Implementation ready projects
Venus Bay Community Centre
9.9kW solar PV and 26.4kWh battery
Funding: $49,000
Coronet Bay Community Hall
11.84kW solar PV
Funding: $12,318
Gormandale Community House
5.18kW solar PV
Funding: $8,158
Heyfield Wetlands Information Centre
13.34kW solar PV
Funding: $8,350
Lucknow Football Netball Club
14kW solar PV and 42kWh battery
Funding: $46,200
Mallacoota Water Treatment Plant
39.6kW solar PV
Funding: $48,450
Neerim South Hospital
99.8kW solar PV
Funding: $31,819
Yarragon Church
6.48kW solar PV
Funding: $6,906
Ballarat Renewable Energy and Zero Emissions – Grampians
Funding: $428,400
Healesville CoRE – Greater Yarra Valley and Ranges
Funding: $428,400
Read more about the Yarra Valley Community Power Hub.
Indigo Power in partnership with Goulburn Valley Community Energy – Hume
Funding: $428,400
Read more about the Hume Community Power Hub - GV Community Energy.
Implementation ready projects
Moyola Aged Care Tatura
136kW solar PV
Funding: $59,964
Yea Community Shed
8.14 solar PV
Funding: $12,250
Bendigo Sustainability Group – Loddon Mallee
Funding: $428,400
Read more about the group's Community Power Hub.
Implementation ready projects
Bendigo Jockey Club
99kW solar PV
Funding: $83,215
Bendigo Woollen Mills
96.3kW solar PV
Funding: $76,114
Hazeldenes Bald Hills
99.9kW solar PV
Funding: $64,703
Hazeldenes Lanecorie
99.9kW solar PV
Funding: $65,042
Mildura South Regional Sporting Precinct
99.9kW solar PV
Funding: $95,000
Yarra Energy Foundation – metropolitan Melbourne
Funding: $428,400
Why the Victorian Government provided this funding
The program was funded because, despite the strong interest in community renewable energy projects, community groups overwhelming relied on volunteers and few possess the time, skills, expertise, or finances to complete community energy projects on their own.
Supporting community energy helped the State Government to:
- deliver on the Victorian Budget 2020-2021 commitment of $5.94 million to deliver low-emission, low-cost energy services which forms part of the broader $1.6 billion renewable energy package
- contribute to meeting the Victorian Renewable Energy Target (VRET 2030) which is embedded in the Renewable Energy (Jobs and Investment) Act 2017 (Vic) with legislated renewable energy generation targets of 25 per cent by 2020 and 40 per cent by 2025
- help Victorians act on climate change.
More information
This grant program is closed, but you can email us if you have any queries.