Hard Yacka? The Small Victorian Town of Yackandandah Goes Totally Renewable

Check out the details of this inspiring initiative at https://totallyrenewableyack.org.au/ There you can find out more about the way that TRY has partnered with the local community and key organisations, galvanising them to develop projects that will transition Yackandandah to clean, local sources of energy.

In July 2020, TRY received a federal grant of $346,000 to investigate the feasibility of using microgrids to provide community-scale energy storage and generation for the town. This is the 100% Feasibility Study. Read more about this study at https://totallyrenewableyack.org.au/watts-happening/100-percent-feasibility-study/  and check out the video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihT5Tf2c3Xg to see how they arrived at the best value way for Yackandandah to get to 100% renewable energy.

The outcome is both practical and inspiring. As TRY are able to proclaim, proudly, their “combined efforts have resulted in three operating microgrids, multiple solar and heat pump hot water offers, a community virtual power plant, a 274 kWh community battery, an energy coaching service and the launch of a community energy retailer, Indigo Power.” TRY and Indigo Power are installing a behind-the-meter community-scale battery at the site of an old local sawmill. This reduces running costs for community groups and provides reliable energy storage for the town.

To dig into the detail of the outcomes, you can read the report at https://totallyrenewableyack.org.au/kookaburra/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/220205_TRY-Comm-Report-Feasibility-Outcomes-%E2%80%93-FINAL.pdf

Perhaps the most valuable lesson, for other regional towns like Tamborine Mountain in the hinterland of the Gold Coast, which often defines itself as an “island in the sky” and the “green behind the gold”, is this, in the words of Totally Renewable Yacka:

Part of that goal includes investigating islandability: the ability for the town to operate independent of the mains grid for a period of time, if the connection to the grid is disrupted. This will be invaluable during times of crisis, such as bushfires.

Also implicit in the project goals is that money saved on general energy costs, and reduced disruption during extremes, means the savings can be spent elsewhere in the community, and during disruptions the town can still operate. This is a powerful and regenerative outcome that speaks to the town’s identity and sense of agency.

It is surely a call to action, and an exemplary instance of what can be achieved when a community commits to a vision of a sustainable future.

Contributed by Wendy Morgan