A $4.8 million initiative to build the first resilient energy community on the NSW South Coast will be fast-tracked.
Funded with support of the NSW Government’s Bushfire Local Economic Recovery Fund, the initiative will see the coastal towns of Bawley Point and Kioloa have a community microgrid.
A microgrid is a local energy system that draws electricity from renewable sources such as solar panels and batteries and, provides a reliable, renewable, and stand-alone power supply during network outages.
While it is connected to the main electricity grid, it can operate independently during outages, providing a consistent power supply to local customers.
The project is intended to deliver a more resilient energy supply in the face of increasingly frequent and extreme weather events, whilst also catering for peaks in energy demand that coincide with the arrival of holiday makers to the popular coastal area.
The announcement will kick off a program of consultation over the coming months which will involve the community and other stakeholders in establishing the region’s first operational community microgrid.
The Shoalhaven City Council supplied the site for the new grid battery that, in time, will replace the diesel generator to support local electricity supply.
