Macedon Ranges Archives - Page 3 of 3

Solar Gift Helps Neediest Youth

Over 70 students from the most disadvantaged schools in Victoria will get free places at Doxa’s Malmsbury Camp thanks to a solar gift from the Hepburn Solar Bulk Buy, the sister bulk-buy of MASH.

‘Giving kids a break’. These solar panels are going to make it possible for an extra 70 students a year from Victoria’s most underprivileged schools to go to camp at Doxa Malmsbury

Massive bill savings

Bill savings of around $6,500 a year from the 11.5kW solar system will make it possible for Doxa to offer their ‘positive life experience’ camp to the neediest young people in the state.

These are students who might not normally have the opportunity to attend camps due to financial hardship” said Jess Case, Manager at Doxa Malmbury. “We’re so happy that this solar system is making it possible for an extra 71 students a year to come on our 3-day residential camp and have a great time outdoors in the bush.”

With around 4,500 students going to the Doxa Malmsbury Camp each year, power costs are high. Before solar, electricity bills at the camp were around $25,000 a year with usage at around 10 times that of the average home.

We had been trying to get solar and improve our energy efficiency for ages,” said Jess. “But being a small not-for-profit, we don’t have lots of money sitting in the bank. Luckily Dominic Murphy, the Sustainability Officer at Hepburn Shire Council was a great help. He told us about the community bonus grant from the Hepburn Solar Bulk Buy and helped us through the whole process.”

Solar installer “excellent”

The 42-panel system was installed by the solar provider for the Hepburn and MASH Bulk-Buys – Macedon Ranges Solar Power. “Our experience with MRSP was excellent. We had no issues from start to finish. There was great communication from Luke and his team every step of the way.”

Learning opportunity

State-of-the art monitoring – provided by a Fronius inverter – is helping Doxa staff and students get hands-on with how solar works. “We have the monitoring on an iPad so that students can see how much power is being generated by the solar panels and how much is being used by the camp. Most of the students who come to camp haven’t been exposed to what sustainability is all about, and why it’s so important. So this is a great opportunity to do that.”

Going forward

With around 25% of the electricity needs of Doxa being met by the new solar system, Doxa is keen for more.

We’d love to get more panels within the next year or so,” said Jess. “If we did, we’d be able to install air conditioning in the accommodation areas so that students can be comfortable on hot summer nights. If we install aircon now, it’s going to increase the likelihood of the power tripping in summer. We’re at the end of the powerline and there are issues with voltage variance that need to be addressed. More solar would help us overcome that.”

Giving kids a break

“We’re thrilled that Doxa was selected as one of the three recipients of the community bonus from the first round Hepburn Solar Bulk Buy,” said organiser of the not-for-profit bulk-buy project, Jo Kaptein. “It’s great to know that this gift is going to directly benefit kids who could really do with a break.”

“This is the 13th community bonus system donated through our bulk-buy projects,” said Jo.

To learn more about the Hepburn and MASH Solar Bulk-Buys, visit mash.org.au or call 1300 466 274.

About the Hepburn Solar Bulk Buy

The Hepburn Solar Bulk Buy is organised by the same team as the MASH Community Solar Bulk Buy. Both bulk-buys are owned and managed by Central Victorian Greenhouse Alliance, a Castlemaine based not-for-profit organisation that supports 13 councils in central and north western Victoria with climate change mitigation activities. The Hepburn Solar Bulk Buy is supported by Hepburn Shire Council and Hepburn Wind. For more information and to request a quote, visit mash.org.au/hepburn-solar or call 1300 466 274.

About Doxa

Doxa Youth Foundation, is a not-for-profit organisation that provides positive life experiences for students from the most disadvantaged schools in Victoria. Doxa Malmsbury is a residential camp with outdoor activities that concentrate on building teamwork and resilience. It is situated on bushland that is crosses the boundaries of three shires – Mt Alexander Shire, Macedon Ranges Shire and Hepburn Shire. Visit doxa.org.au to learn more.

Social Foundry receives $20k solar grant from Powershop

Kyneton-based social enterprise, the Social Foundry, has installed a 20kW solar system thanks to a $20,000 grant from energy retailer, Powershop, and support from the More Australian Solar Homes (MASH) Community Solar Bulk-Buy.

Celebrating the installation of 68 solar panels on the The Social Foundry, not-for-profit, social enterprise based in the heart of Kyneton in the Macedon Ranges Shire

Solar to cut electricity bills by around $5,000 each year

The 68 panel solar system will generate an average 75 kilowatt hours of electricity a day, cutting the Social Foundry’s electricity bills by around $5,000 a year. The savings will support the further development of mentoring and work-skills programs offered to more than 70 young people annually in the areas of hospitality, carpentry and conservation land management.

MASH Solar Bulk-Buy Team helped make it happen

Paul Dettman, Co-founder of the Social Foundry with their new Fronius solar inverter

Paul Dettman, Co-founder of the Social Foundry said, “We approached the MASH team over a year ago asking if they could help us go solar. They suggested we seek funding through Powershop’s ‘Your Community Energy’ program and facilitated the entire process for us. We are delighted to have such a good sized system, not only because of the obvious financial benefits, but also because we want to support renewable energy.

Savings will enable Social Foundry to consolidate and expand

“Financial sustainability is key to the growth of this not-for-profit that’s got big plans for the future.” Paul Dettman said, “The savings from solar will help our Kyneton projects operate on a sound financial platform and, once we have achieved that goal, we will be in a strong position to replicate our model in other regional communities. We’d like to say a big thank you to the thousands of Powershop customers who’ve made this possible.”

Through Powershop’s Your Community Energy program, Powershop customers have the option to purchase power with a premium attached to support projects like the Social Foundry. The premiums are pooled and distributed in grants for initiatives that positively impact the environment. To date, Powershop customers have collectively raised more than half a million dollars in funding.

Massive environmental benefits

Whilst the financial benefits of the solar system are significant, so are the environmental benefits. Jo Kaptein, Manager of the MASH Community Solar Bulk-Buy said, “This system is cutting CO2 emissions by around 30 tonnes a year. Over the 25-year life of the system, that’s the equivalent of around 150 fewer cars on our roads. That’s something worth celebrating!”

MASH would like to acknowledge the ongoing support of its key partners in the region which include Macedon Ranges Shire Council, Mount Alexander Shire Council, Macedon Ranges Sustainability Group and Mount Alexander Sustainability Group. For more information about MASH visit mash.org.au or call 1300 466 274.

ENDS

The Social Foundry

The Social Foundry is at 81 Mollison Street, Kyneton in the Macedon Ranges. It was founded by Paul Dettman and Simon Burnett in 2015 and seeks to mentor and impart work-skills and life-skills to young people with limited opportunities.

It has a cafe serving simple, wholesome food 6 days a week and provides a welcoming, light-filled community space based around good food and coffee.

In the last 12 months, 68 young people have learnt new skills in hospitality, carpentry and land management through the mentoring and practical training programs provided by the Social Foundry. In addition, the Social Foundry employs three people full-time and has around 30 volunteers.

Solar system

20.06kW solar power system comprising of 68 Flex 295 watt panels and a Fronius inverter. This system was supplied and installed by SkyGreen through the MASH community solar bulk-buy.

Powershop

Powershop Australia powers more than 120,000 homes and businesses across Victoria, New South Wales, South East Queensland, and South Australia. Powershop is Australia’s only electricity and gas retailer to be certified 100% carbon neutral by the Australian Government. Powershop’s parent company, Meridian Energy is the owner-operator of two wind farms in Australia, Mount Mercer in Victoria and Mount Millar in South Australia, and three hydro power stations in New South Wales.

MASH customers’ positive feedback

A MASH system being installed in Castlemaine

Householders getting rooftop solar installed through the MASH & Hepburn Community Solar Bulk-Buys in March and April 2019 had some positive feedback on the quality of their installations:

The solar installers did a good job on the day, installing our new 2.97kW solar PV system through the MASH community solar bulk-buy. They turned up early, worked all day and were really professional. – Laurel O’Callaghan, Kyneton, March 2019

We’ve just had a 5.13kW solar PV system installed as part of the MASH community solar bulk-buy. The communication from the solar company was good and the product was worth waiting for. Buddy Norris, the installer was terrific and gave us lots of tips on how to use our system effectively. – Ellen Johnson, Strathdale, March 2019

“Based on the recommendation from the MASH solar supplier, Macedon Ranges Solar Power, we purchased a 6.33kW solar system with a Fronius inverter and 23 JA Solar panels. The communications with Macedon Ranges Solar Power were good and the installation met our expectations. We chose the Fronius inverter as it has a 10 year product warranty as well as solid monitoring functionality. We are able to monitor how much solar power is being produced and consumed as well as seeing how much power is being exported or imported from the grid in real time. We have an all-electric home with no mains water or gas. The Fronius monitoring allows us to modify our usage to make the most of our solar investment. For instance, we will be putting a timer on our hot water system so that it heats up during the day using our solar power. – Malcolm Sutherland, Mandurang, City of Greater Bendigo, April 2019

“I chose to go solar with MASH because I liked the idea that my solar installation was going to help community groups and schools get free solar power. The MASH solar supplier, Macedon Ranges Solar Power, were great – efficient, professional and kept me informed about what each step involved. I was amazed by how quick they were too – my system was installed in less than a month from when I registered with MASH. Now, I’m looking forward to generating my own solar power – and also to hearing which community group or school is going to benefit from the next MASH community bonus system.” – Lee Nicholls, Castlemaine, April 2019

“The main reason why we decided to go solar with MASH is that we trusted that they would choose a reputable supplier and high quality solar technology suitable for the Castlemaine environment. This is because we knew that MASH has a significant amount of experience in arranging solar bulk-buys for the Castlemaine community. This gave us the confidence to proceed despite the fact that we were not experts in the area of solar power. The MASH solar provider, Macedon Ranges Solar Power, were responsive to our questions and were very quick to install our system. We felt that they gave us the right advice in terms of what system size we needed to meet our requirements. Based on the numbers, our 5.23kW solar system will pay for itself in around 2.7 years, if we take into account the Solar Homes rebate. Down the track, we’re keen to add a battery to become more self-sufficient. We don’t have mains gas so going solar made a lot of sense!” – Imogen, Castlemaine, April 2019

Jo Kaptein, Manager of the MASH and Hepburn Community Solar Bulk-Buys said,

We’re thrilled that householders going through our bulk-buy programs are reporting a good installation process now. After the withdrawal of Energy Matters, our previous solar supplier, we’ve worked hard to set up strong supply relationships with new installers. It is extremely encouraging to get good feedback from participants about the quality of their experience with these suppliers and their installation.

Newham Primary goes solar

Newham Primary School, near Hanging Rock in the Macedon Ranges Shire, is set to receive a free 5kW solar system thanks to a campaign for More Australian Solar Homes (MASH). The not-for-profit Hub Foundation in Castlemaine will donate the solar system to the school after achieving over 100 installations in the Macedon Ranges as part of round 2 of MASH, their hugely successful solar bulk-buy initiative.

Newham Primary School goes solar with MASH — Photo from left to right: Macedon Ranges Shire Council Mayor Graham Hackett, Newham Primary School Principal Julie Soutter, Hub Foundation Director Mark Carter with students and parents.

Hub Foundation Chair, Neil Barrett said Newham Primary was one of a number of strong applications, “We chose the school because of the great work they are already doing in the area of sustainability. We are confident that the leaders of the school will maximise the benefits of the solar system by using it as an educational tool and by inspiring parents and neighbours to go solar,” Barrett said.

As a ResourceSmart School, Newham Primary has taken significant steps to audit their energy usage, direct funds towards improving energy infrastructure and reducing energy consumption.

Principal, Julie Soutter, said the school is delighted to receive the free solar system. “It will add an extra dimension to our existing sustainability program and our students’ learning experience. The solar panels will also reduce our energy bills, allowing us to install quality library facilities and give our students greater access to digital technologies”, Soutter said.

Graham Hackett, Macedon Ranges Shire Council Mayor said, “The solar system will enable the school to teach the next generation about renewable energy in a very practical way.”

Newham Primary is the fourth recipient of a community bonus system delivered through the MASH initiative since it began in 2014. Almost 500 solar systems have so far been installed in the Mount Alexander and Macedon Ranges Shires.

The next round of MASH will launch in the Macedon Ranges on July 27 and Mount Alexander on July 29. Community groups (including schools) will again be able to apply for a community bonus system if 100 installations are achieved in their shire.