Thank you to all the wonderful community members who joined our Community Solar Rollout launch on Saturday, May 13 at Thirroul Community Centre.

We had a packed house with many on the waiting list and plenty of great conversations were had. The launch involved an address from Dr Saul Griffith on the big picture, with the fantastic news that electrification is being funded for the first time in a Federal Budget. Excitingly, Hon. Jenny McAllister, Assistant Climate Change and Energy Minister, stated that the 2515 community helped put electrification on the national agenda and prove that Australians are behind this concept. Well done to everyone for creating positive change!

We also heard from committee member Francis Vierboom with an update on our application for funding from ARENA.

Francis shared the broad goals of the application, which includes:

• electrifying homes and businesses;
• creating smart energy users; and
• building community assets.

The funding is unconfirmed and the application process is ongoing, we hope to submit our final proposal in June/July. If successful, about 500 households within 2515 could apply for subsidies to help reduce the upfront costs a little for implementing efficient, electric appliances (such as reverse-cycle air conditioners or electric heat-pump hot-water systems). Solar would not be further subsidised, which is why we're encouraging community members to get started on their solar journey today.

Local architect and Electrify 2515 committee member Davin Turner shared the details of the Community Solar Rollout and how we researched and vetted local solar providers, partnering with two trusted providers. These solar partners are generously offering a 10% discount to all participants of the program and are on hand to give you personalised advice – so if you've thought about getting solar, now is a good time to start.

For more information on the Solar Rollout and to request a quote, please visit www.electrify2515.org/solar

Finally, we heard from Peter Aubourg, a community member who installed solar on his home 18 months ago and shared his learnings and savings with the audience as a real-life case study.

There were also opportunities for people living in strata residences to talk with Allume, who provide solar solutions for apartment complexes, and for people to look at software monitoring programs with Solar Analytics (who are also offering a 20% discount on subscriptions for Electrify 2515 participants) to gain better awareness of their energy production and consumption patterns.  

Community members also met the Hi Neighbour team to learn about their clean energy skills project. 

A recording of the Solar Rollout Launch will be on our website (by Friday, May 20) and you can catch coverage on WIN News Illawarra, which aired on Monday night.

For more information, visit the Electrify 2515 website