MASH-wide news Archives - Page 26 of 53

MASH ready to donate $7,220 in free solar!

Grassroots community solar bulk-buy – MASH – is ready to ‘deliver the goods’ once again in the form of free solar for the community. Due to its ongoing success, the MASH bulk-buy has raised just over $7,000 to spend on free solar for a community group or school. This will be the seventh free community solar system donated by the MASH bulk-buy since it started in 2014. For details on how to apply, click here.

Thanks to the massive support of MASH from all corners of our community, we have $7,220 in free solar ready to give away to a community group or school in Mount Alexander Shire, Macedon Ranges Shire or Bendigo, said Jo Kaptein, Executive Officer, at The Hub Foundation, the not-for-profit organiser of MASH.

This donation – our biggest ever – comes as a result of the success of MASH round 3.1, as well as from our collaboration with the Castlemaine State Festival and a philanthropic donation from The Hub Foundation.

We’re putting the word out to community groups and schools to send in an application by Friday the 6th of April. This is a terrific opportunity for a community organisation to get a decent size system that could make a real dent in their electricity bill – and show their commitment to reducing their carbon footprint. Alternatively, we may be able to donate two smaller systems so we are encouraging all community groups and schools, regardless of size (and roof space) to send in an application!

Deadline for applications – 6th April

The deadline for applications is 5pm on Friday the 6th of April 2018. For details on how to apply, click here.

Members of the selection panel who’ll be assessing the applications include Taryn Lane, Manager at Hepburn Wind and member of The Hub Foundation’s Advisory panel, Jo Kaptein, Executive Officer at The Hub Foundation and a representative from the Castlemaine State Festival. The system will be installed by the solar provider for MASH round 3.1, Solargain.

About MASH

Note: MASH stands for More Australian Solar Homes and is a community solar bulk-buy that has resulted in over 830 more solar rooftops in central Victoria since it started in mid 2014. Organised by the not-for-profit Hub Foundation based in Castlemaine, the MASH project is proud to have the support of Mount Alexander Shire Council, Macedon Ranges Shire Council, Hepburn Shire Council, Mount Alexander Sustainability Group, Macedon Ranges Sustainability Group, Bendigo Sustainability Group and Hepburn Wind. Visit mash.org.au or call the MASH team on 1300 466 274.

MASH aiming for 1,100 solar rooftops

Solar is the ‘new normal’ now, with 1.8 million Australian households with a solar rooftop and 3,000 Australian households going solar every single week. – source: Solar Citizens Feb 2018

This year, the MASH team has big plans to do lots more solar and battery bulk-buys in Mount Alexander and the Macedon Ranges Shires, the City of Greater Bendigo and also Hepburn Shire.

Our target is 1,100 MASH solar rooftops by the end of December 2018, says Jo Kaptein, Executive Officer at The Hub Foundation, the not-for-profit organiser of MASH.

With the awesome support we have of residents and businesses, councils and sustainability groups throughout central Victoria, we’re confident we can do it.

This is the tenth Solar Matters column which weekly in the Midland Express. The MASH team would like to say a huge thank you the MidExpress for their terrific ongoing support.

Big announcements from SA

Whenever you look, it seems like there’s yet another announcement from South Australia which spells good news for renewables. The latest is a promise from the South Australian Labour party to set a 75% renewable energy target by 2025 should they be re-elected. If this promise comes about, it would be a world-leading target for renewables and would set an ambitious benchmark that would make other state governments sit up and take note.

Vic update

Here in Victoria, our state government’s target is 25% renewable energy by 2020 and 40% by 2025. The MASH team recognises the strong support from the Victorian Government for renewables which is helping to drive exciting growth in new projects such as the Community Power Hubs, Renewable Newstead and a new one down the road in Hepburn Shire.

Hepburn Shire Heads Towards Zero-Net Emissions

Hepburn Shire Council and Hepburn Wind have recently announced their intention to become Victoria’s first Z-NET community by 2025. This will make the shire the first Victorian example of a Zero-Net Energy Town (Z-NET) as part of the state government’s TAKE2 Community Transition Pilot.

According to Hepburn Wind, “Zero-net energy is achieved when emission-free renewable energy produces at least as much energy as is being produced by emission-producing energy sources. A zero-net energy target is a clear statement of intent that demonstrates dedication to renewable energy and in Hepburn Shire would represent real action on climate change.”

MASH Invited to the Hepburn Shire

The MASH project is delighted to have been invited to be part of Hepburn Shire’s Z-NET project and, as part of this initiative, will be launching a solar bulk-buy for the people of Hepburn Shire in April 2018.

Together with our partners Hepburn Shire Council and Hepburn Wind, we will be aiming to add another 200 solar rooftops in shire over the next 8 months, and also install around four to five free solar systems on buildings used by community groups within that Shire.

MASH ready to donate again

Due to the success of MASH in Mount Alexander, Macedon Ranges and Bendigo, the MASH project is now in a position to donate just over $7,000 to put towards a solar PV system for a community group, kinder or school in one of these three Shires. This has come about due to the huge support of MASH by both households and businesses in our area who’ve chosen to go solar through our community bulk-buy. Thank you if you are one of them!

A small percentage of every MASH sale goes into a community bonus kitty for a free or heavily subsidised system for a local community group. We’ll shortly be putting out a news release across the region inviting community groups, not-for-profit kindergartens and schools to submit an application with details of the selection criteria, process and timeframe. If you would like to ensure that you receive a copy of this release, please email me at jo@hubfoundation.org.au.

Helps us reach 1,100 solar rooftops!

The MASH bulk-buy will continue to be available to households, businesses and other organisations in Mount Alexander, Macedon Ranges and Bendigo throughout 2018. Thanks to the support of residents in central Victoria, the project is now cutting CO2 emissions by over 4,700 tonnes each year, with over 3.3MW of solar power capacity installed. Our goal is to increase the number of MASH solar rooftops from 830 to 1,100 by the end of December. If you are interested in going solar – or adding batteries – want to help us reach 1,100, register for a quote at mash.org.au or call MASH on 1300 466 274.

About this column

This is the tenth article in a series by The Hub Foundation, the not-for-profit organiser of the MASH community solar bulk-buy. We’d like to thank the Midland Express for its ongoing support of MASH, and for its part in helping to make it one of the most successful community solar bulk-buys in Australia

Exciting times for home battery storage

Ever since the MASH project started offering home battery storage systems back in 2016, the interest in batteries has been quite staggering. We find that people love the idea of being more energy independent and cutting their electricity bills still further. But as soon we let them know the price – currently $13,000 for the installation of a Tesla Powerwall 2 battery plus around $6,000 for a 5kW solar system – interest tends to cool off pretty quickly. And fair enough too, as for most households the economic justification for spending that much on a battery system is just not there at the moment. Plain old solar PV still gives the best return in most cases.

A Tesla Powerwall 2 and EV charger installed in one of Metricon’s display homes.

Change is happening!

But this is starting to change. In the last three months, we’ve sold nine home battery storage systems. Whilst this may not sound like many, it is a lot more than in the past.

Our experience seems to mirror what’s happening at a national level. Home battery installations are starting to take off. A report published by the Climate Council last week puts estimates on home battery installations for 2017 at more than 20,000, a three-fold increase on 2016 numbers of 6,750 new installations.

Battery costs falling

With costs of home batteries expected to fall by 50% in the next seven years according to the Climate Council report, home battery storage is expected to become the ‘new norm’. In the Council’s September 2017 survey, 74 per cent of people surveyed across Australia expect household batteries to be commonplace in homes in the next decade.

Large building companies have been quick to spot this opportunity. For example, major Australian home builder Metricon says more than half of the roughly 1,000 new homes it is building a year in New South Wales will have rooftop solar and battery storage included. Their package is 5.4kW of rooftop solar and the latest home battery offering from Tesla, the Powerwall 2, which has a storage capacity of 13.5kWh – almost exactly the same as the solar and storage system offered through MASH!

A ‘love affair’

Some industry commentators are even calling it a “love affair” with clean energy and battery storage that is only just beginning for Australian households as we discover how batteries can help us reduce our exposure to expensive grid supplied power.

There’s no doubt that batteries have the potential to revolutionise the electricity landscape in Australia. One reason is because batteries – when combined with smart software – have the ability to discharge electricity into the grid at times when it is most needed (like those super hot days we’ve been experiencing). This increases the stability of the grid, reducing the likelihood of grid outages.

Solar + batteries = A game changer

The value of this increased grid resilience is enormous to all the players in the electricity supply chain. So expect to see changes – big changes – in the way electricity is generated, stored and valued in the coming years. And also expect to see householders like you being an active and valued participant in that electricity supply chain!

Be part of the MASH solar bulk-buy!

MASH has been responsible for the installation of 830 rooftop systems in the past 4 years, cutting CO2 emissions by over 4,500 tonnes annually and installing six free solar systems on community groups and schools. We are now aiming for 1,000 systems! Help us reach our target. If you are interested in going solar – or adding batteries – want to help us reach 1,000, register for a quote at mash.org.au or call MASH on 1300 466 274.

This column is kindly published by MASH’s media partner, The Midland Express

This is the ninth column of ‘Solar Matters’, a 10-part series by The Hub Foundation, the not-for-profit organiser of the MASH community solar bulk-buy which has helped over 830 households, schools and businesses go solar since mid 2014. This column was written by Jo Kaptein, Executive Officer at The Hub Foundation and is published by MASH’s media partner, The Midland Express.

Solar Matters #8

The Hub Foundation’s Executive Officer, Jo Kaptein

This is the eighth of a 10-part series written by Jo Kaptein, Executive Officer at The Hub Foundation, the not-for-profit organiser of the MASH community solar bulk-buy. This column is published by MASH’s media partner, the Midland Express.

Powershop No. 1 electricity retailer

The company Canstar Blue (www.canstarblue.com.au) runs an annual survey to find out the level of customer satisfaction with electricity retailers. For the third year in a row, Powershop has come out tops.

We at MASH are pleased as we’ve been recommending Powershop for four years now. Why? Quite simply because:

We like their pricing
We like their respect for customers
We like the fact that (by encouraging customers to contribute to their community energy fund), they give significant amounts of money to organisations to allow them to put solar on their roofs.

Castlemaine Childcare Centre Goes Solar — Castlemaine Childcare Co-operative celebrating news of its new solar PV system funded in large part by electricity retailer, Powershop

The 10.73kW solar installation on the Castlemaine Childcare Co-operative in Templeton St, Castlemaine is an example of Powershop’s great leadership.

Switch to Powershop and help us continue our work on solar

For every person who switches to Powershop using this link – www.powershop.com.au/hub – Powershop will provide a financial contribution once your switch is complete, to the Hub Foundation to support our work on the MASH solar bulk-buy project.

Power blackouts – don’t let facts get in the way

You’ve probably noticed the unrelenting attacks on the renewable energy industry by the coalition parties at the federal and state level. The latest example occurred during the heatwave on the weekend of 27/28 of January. Thousands of homes were without power.

The cause?

Well, there was plenty of supply from coal, gas, wind and solar. The problem was that the power distributors hadn’t maintained their network properly and some fuses simply blew. That’s despite us, the consumers, paying them a fortune for maintenance in recent years.

Premier Andrews is trying to force them to compensate consumers for the recent inconvenience. We can only wish him luck.

Help us reach 1,000!

MASH has recently passed 800 installations in the past 4 years and is rapidly heading for 1,000.

If you are interested in going solar – or adding batteries – want to help us reach 1,000, register for a quote at mash.org.au or call the MASH team on 1300 466 274.

MASH Now Has 800 Solar Rooftops!

Huge interest in the current round of MASH has driven a massive uptake in solar systems sold through this bulk-buy in the last month, bringing to a total of 800 the number of MASH solar rooftops installed since the project started in mid 2014.

“Rising electricity prices, changes in the Government financial incentive for solar and falling wholesale prices for solar panels and inverters are key factors driving this strong demand in rooftop solar”, said Jo Kaptein, Project Officer at The Hub Foundation, the not-for-profit organisers of MASH.

“We’re thrilled by the terrific response to this round of our community solar bulk-buy and the impact this is having on CO2 emissions reduction and bill savings for the households and businesses who’ve gone solar”, said Kaptein.

Since September 2014, when MASH started installations, the bulk-buy has achieved:

800 new solar rooftops
12,000 panels installed
$640,000 per year off residents’ electricity bills (approx)
4,500 tonnes CO2 emissions cut annually (equal to around 900 cars off the road)
Six free solar systems (over 20kW) donated to schools and buildings used by community groups

“Industry experts are predicting strong growth in rooftop solar in the coming year”, said Kaptein. “The MASH team certainly plan to be helping lots more households and organisations go solar in 2018 – so watch this space as we have some exciting plans in pipeline!”

Victorian regulator proposes 29c/kWh solar export tariff in peak period

Good news for solar homes! A fairer, higher rate for solar exports at peak times is proposed for Victorian households.Some exciting news for solar households in Victoria has just been announced. The Victorian energy and pricing regulator has proposed a peak period tariff of 29c per kilowatt hour for rooftop solar exports back into the grid.

The proposal is that solar fed back into the grid in Victoria will receive 29c per kilowatt hour during peak periods, defined as 3pm and 9pm each weekday. Lower rates would apply for off peak and shoulder periods, thereby encouraging households with solar to change their electricity usage – ie to use more of their solar-generated power during the off-peak and shoulder periods and export as much as possible during the peak period.

According to the article from ‘One Step Off the Grid’, this may encourage households to “change the way [they] think about their solar assets, and encourage battery storage.”

Likely to come in effect 1^st July 2018

The feedback we’ve received from industry experts is that this change is likely to come into effect from 1^st July 2018. Electricity retailers would have the choice to offer one or both of the recommended feed-in-tariff (FiT) structures to their customers; either a standard FiT of 9.9c/kWh and/or the time of use FiT with the 29c/kWh rate for peak period. Of course, this change in the FiT is not yet implemented and we do not advise people to make purchase decisions regarding solar using these new tariff rates until they are confirmed.

Fairer reward

Despite the above caveat, we reckon that this news is positive for solar households as it has the potential to reward people more fairly for the energy that they export to the grid. It would apply to everyone with an existing solar system who is currently on the minimum feed-in-tariff of 11.3c per kilowatt hour (assuming that the electricity retailer they are with offers the time of use tariff).

Big picture

From a big picture perspective, this proposed change in the tariff structure would encourage people to feed in solar power to the grid at times when the grid is under the most stress, thereby increasing the resilience of the nation’s electricity network. Yet more proof that rooftop solar has a vital role to play in our nation’s energy mix!

“We would welcome this change in the structure of pricing for the feed-in-tariff as it rewards solar households more fairly for the energy that they export to the grid. Plus it also helps increase the resilience of the grid and demonstrates that solar has a serious role to play in our nation’s energy strategy,” said Jo Kaptein, Project Officer at The Hub Foundation

MASH-wide news