The Federal Government’s commitment to run community electrification pilots nationwide is world leading and will help rural and urban households reduce energy bills and improve social licence for clean energy, according to Rewiring Australia.

The scheme will build on the success of the $12 million Electrify 2515 Community Pilot, which is helping 500 households in the Illawarra region of NSW power their heating, cooking and hot water through solar. The Australian Renewable Energy Authority (ARENA) provided $5.4 million to this project.

“Community-based electrification is the key to bringing Australians together around climate action,” says Rewiring Australia Co-Founder and CEO Dan Cass.

ARENA will call for innovative electrification projects with clear community benefits. Funding decisions will be independent of government.

Rewiring Australia Co-Founder and Chief Scientist Dr Saul Griffith says the community pilot model pioneered in 2515 is world-leading and will help households reduce bills and get greater control over their energy costs.

“The Australian government is creating a cheaper, safer energy path for the world through this R&D program. Community pilots are a world-leading approach to technology development because they broaden the focus from just the appliances or solar panels to the whole social system around them,” Griffith says.

“Rural, regional and suburban households have the most to gain from electrification but more research is needed to understand how to make it easy and affordable for everyone. Electrification is the quickest and cheapest way to quit expensive fossil fuels and slash energy bills. These pilots deliver rich insights into how consumers and tradies use and install technologies.”

According to Griffith, if Australia wants to lead the world we need to understand consumers and installer sentiment and purchasing decisions, shape local government and energy regulatory policies and practices and create new business models to deliver the change.

“The barriers we need to break down are technical challenges to electrifying and sharing energy with apartments and rentals, households in remote and disadvantaged areas,” says Griffith.

Image: Service engineers checking solar panels. Clean energy concept / NewJadsada / Envato

Clémence Carayol

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