1 welcome to the growing community energy webinar
TRANSCRIPT
1
Welcome to the Growing Community
Energy webinar
Agenda
· Background to Growing Community Energy
· Designing your grant project
- Grant eligibility and assessment criteria
· Application process
· Further information and contacts
Background to Growing Community Energy
Growing Community Energy in NSW
· NSW Government is strongly committed to supporting community energy
· Facilitate community ownership of renewable energy projects
(Renewable Energy Action Plan, Action 12)
Grant program objectives
· Help to grow the community energy sector
· Provide access to funding for community energy projects to progress through the early project stages
· Support strong models of community energy
· Foster partnerships between communities, businesses, and councils
Grant program design
· Informed by a strategic review from the Institute of Sustainable Futures
· Input from 2013 grantees
· Feedback from community energy stakeholders
Key information
· $700K funding is available for early stage projects
· Each grant $5K -$50K
· Projects up to $70K may be considered for innovative business models
· Projects must demonstrate community leadership and benefits
· Partnerships are encouraged
· Contact with your Regional Coordinator essential
Designing your grant project
> Grant eligibility
Who can apply for funding?
· Community Groups
· Local Government
· Businesses
· Schools and Charities
· Important: projects must be community driven
· Your organisation or your partner organisation must be incorporated
Types of eligible projects
· Located in NSW
· Projects that include community engagement and ownership will rank highly
· Contact with the Regional Coordinator essential
· Contact with your local council encouraged
· Community must benefit from the final project outcome.
How to define community benefit and leadership
· Benefits must flow from this project to the broader community
· The community must lead the project
· Benefits are normally monetary and derived from community ownership
· You need to demonstrate how the community leads the project
What OEH will fund
· Community renewable energy and/or energy efficiency projects
· Projects must be in the development phase
· Projects that involve the community in the process of development of a project
· Projects that have the potential to deliver tangible outcomes to the community
What will not be funded
· Capital expenditure
· We don’t fund resource mapping i.e. wind or solar
· Duplication of existing information, such as templates for existing business models
· Projects without community dimension
· Projects that won’t result in a viable stand-alone community energy business model
· Financially unviable business models
Community energy implementation stages
Ison and Hicks (2014)
Eligible technologies
· May use any commercially available and proven technologies
· For bio-energy projects please provide extra details (overview of the technology)
· Generation must be more than 70kW
· Integrating RE and EE is encouraged
Designing your grant project
> Assessment criteria
Assessment criteria
· Relevance and appropriateness of grant project and business model
· Technical feasibility of grant project and business model
· Capacity to deliver the grant project
· Value for money of the grant project
· Financing arrangements for the business model
· Community engagement and ownership
Local government involvement
· Councils are encouraged to support and partner with community groups
· Committees of council are not considered community groups
· Council facilities may be a host site for projects
· Any projects with councils as a partner need to demonstrate community leadership and community benefit of the project
Business involvement
· We welcome business involvement
· Projects must demonstrate community benefits and be driven by the community
· E.g. REPower Shoalhaven and the Shoalhaven Heads Bowling Club
· Great opportunities to include energy efficiency to increase your project’s viability
Community engagement
· Demonstrate how you will engage with your broader community
· We will prioritise projects that benefit low income communities
· Many ways to involve low income communities
· You may consider partnering with a social housing provider
Application process
· Consult with your Regional Coordinator early
· Applications must be a Word document emailed to [email protected]
· Include any letters of support
· Closing date is Monday 12.00pm 15 December, 2014
Growing Community Energy timeline
· Applications due 15 December 2014
· Applications will be reviewed by a panel
· Funding agreements will be developed by
30 March 2015
· One year grant project delivery -
April 2015 to March 2016
· Final report lodged by 30 April 2016
Further information and contacts
OEH
· Contact your Regional Coordinator: Guidelines p.10
· OEH Community Energy – Library & Tools
http://environment.nsw.gov.au/communities/clean-energy-tools.htm
Ison & Hicks (2004) Community owned renewable energy: A How To Guide, commissioned by OEH, Community Power Agency.
Clean Energy Council’s Guide to Installing Solar PV for Businesses in NSW
· Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Finance Guide -
http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/business/project-financing.htm
Further information and contacts
Other Sources
· Embark wiki - www.embark.com.au
· Community Renewable Energy in Scotland - www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Business-Industry/Energy/Energy-sources/19185/Communities
· UK Government Community Energy Guidance - www.gov.uk/community-energy