Country town creates their own energy source
A small Victorian town's dream to create their own energy source is now a reality. Newstead in the central highlands has become the first town in Victoria to open its own solar farm.
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00:00It's a farm 16 years in the making.
00:06It's been such a long journey and it's been very fruitful, yeah it's great, it's a really
00:12In 2008, a handful of Newstead residents had a unique dream, to create their own solar
00:19energy source.
00:20I was looking for projects that were bigger than footy clubs and stuff.
00:24The opportunity to work together on an interesting, exciting, challenging program was quite stimulating.
00:29A decade after their first meetings, the group was given a state government grant
00:33of a million dollars.
00:34And that was really the stimulus to really take the project to the state that it's in
00:40today.
00:41They found a farmer to lease them land and a tender was put to any companies interested.
00:45We just kept figuring out ways to solve some of those challenges and problems along the
00:49way.
00:50The result is this 6 acre farm with 72 3 megawatt panels and 5 megawatt batteries that can be
00:57used to store the energy and then send to the grid for residents to use if they choose.
01:02People aren't marching up and down the streets of Newstead saying this is the best thing
01:06since sliced bread, but I think there is strong support.
01:11The farm is the first community driven solar project of its kind in Victoria, capable of
01:16powering 1,200 homes.
01:18This farm would power Newstead at least twice over.
01:22I'd like to see a lot more Newsteads happening.
01:24Given this is the first of its kind in Victoria, the Newstead locals have told me that other
01:29community groups from towns across Australia dealing with soaring energy prices have come
01:35to them asking how they can create something similar.
01:39You've got to work together, that's the most important thing.
01:42The project has created lifelong friends and an energy source they hope lasts even longer.
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