Extract from ABC News
The Suttle family sitting in amongst the panels of the Goulburn Community Solar Farm. (ABC Illawarra: Tim Fernandez)
In short:
The Goulburn Community Solar Farm has plugged into the grid, aiming to keep profits in the community.
The facility is owned by 288 local investors and is one of the country's largest community-owned solar farms.
What's next?
Investors will be paid a dividend, while some profits will be diverted to pay the power bills of struggling Goulburn residents.
Ed Suttle freely admits he and his neighbours knew "nothing" about solar farms when they decided to build one, at commercial scale, 12 years ago.
The group of residents in the NSW rural community of Goulburn were frustrated by the lack of action on climate change.
A 1.4-megawatt solar farm on the outskirts of the town, wholly owned by the community, is the fruit of their frustration.
"What this farm shows is that Goulburn is not a backwards, conservative, country city," Mr Suttle said.
"Within that country city are enough people, with enough oomph and energy to create something that is bloody close to unique."
The Goulburn community solar farm is completely owned by the community. (ABC Illawarra: Justin Huntsdale)
The Goulburn Community Solar Farm consists of 2,300 panels and a 4-megawatt battery, capable of providing enough power for approximately 500 homes.
This makes it one of the largest community solar projects in the country, and the first with a battery.
The idea attracted 288 investors who contributed a total of $3.2 million, as well as a $2.3-million state government grant.
Investments ranged from $400 to buy a single panel to up to $100,000.
Almost 300 people have invested in the Goulburn community solar farm. (ABC Illawarra: Tim Fernandez)
The youngest shareholders are Ed's grandchildren.
"For a long time, it has been talk around the kitchen table," said their dad, Dave Suttle.
"Suddenly here we are in amongst the panels, watching the sun send electrons to the people and my kids all own little parts of this with the community."
Dave Suttle said the solar farm puts the power back in the hands of the community at a time of energy uncertainty.
"The sun is coming back for free; it’s going to be doing that for a very long time," he said.
"It’s not as if there’s a Strait of Hormuz between us and the sun.
"It comes down for free and we should be harnessing it and, all the better, the community owns it."
People power
The farm will sell energy back to the grid, providing investors with a dividend of around five per cent, with some profits set aside to help those in need.
"Part of the profits will go into that fund to assist those within our community who can't afford to buy electricity every quarter," Mr Suttle said.
Investors in Goulburn's community solar farm were driven by economics and a sense of belonging. (ABC Illawarra: Tim Fernandez)
The facility will be run as a cooperative, a democratic model where each investor gets an equal say in how the solar farm is run, regardless of the size of their investment.
For most of the investors, the project is about more than just money.
"Goulburn's like that, the community gets together and makes things happen, so it's just wonderful," said Heather West.
"We need more of these in Australia; I mean, we've got it, haven't we — the sun — and we should be using it."
It's a similar sentiment for Rita Warleigh
"It's definitely a show of support for renewable energy and it is the way forward and things are changing; they have to," she said.
"The climate is in a crisis."
Dimity Taylor runs a sheep farm near Goulburn and said the solar farm is a sign of the community's support for renewables. (ABC Illawarra: Tim Fernandez)
Sheep farmer Dimity Taylor said she enjoys seeing the panels as she drives into town.
"I think it's that sense of control and feeling you're a part of the change and a part of the solution that gets people emotionally invested, not just financially invested," she said.
Bureaucratic delays
Investors were forced to wait longer than expected for the power to start flowing.
"Every single government body with whom we had to deal and get certificates was far, far slower in their work and determination than we could have ever anticipated," said Ed Suttle.
Ed Suttle is the vice president of Community Energy 4 Goulburn. (ABC Illawarra: Tim Fernandez)
The location of the solar farm was part of the problem.
The site sits adjacent to the rail line, meaning extensive consultation with rail authorities.
The solar farm sits next to the main rail line into Goulburn. (ABC Illawarra: Justin Huntsdale)
A six-week deadline for regulatory approval ended up taking 18 months.
Ed Suttle said these delays, along with COVID, set the project back years.
"I think many organisations just weren't used to dealing with our-sized projects and one that was run by a community organisation. We're not professionals," he said.
"We're not a massive international developer, and neither are we a simple company putting panels on a roof, we're somewhere in between."
The 'missing middle'
Community renewables are typically mid-scale energy projects, sitting somewhere between large commercial projects and rooftop solar.
"Something that is missing in the Australian renewable sector is what we call the missing middle, and it's mid-scale solar and wind projects," said Kim Mallee, director at Community Power Agency (CPA).
The Goulburn community solar farm has 4,500 solar panels. (ABC Illawarra: Justin Huntsdale)
CPA is a not-for-profit that helps communities build their own renewable projects.
They recently offered five places in a mentorship program for communities interested in starting their own projects and received 26 applications.
"There are a huge amount of projects across Australia that want to be able to have agency over their own energy sovereignty where they are," Ms Mallee said.
Goulburn community members at the opening of the community solar farm. (ABC Illawarra: Tim Fernandez)
Ed Suttle said he hopes other communities have an easier path.
"This has been a very hard road; it took us nearly 12 years. If we did it again, the pain would be gone because we'd know the obstacles in front of us," he said.
"It is not that difficult, it just requires a lot of patience, and it does require a community behind you."
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