The City of Yarra will get four new community batteries installed at locations across the city, thanks to a grant of approximately $398,000 through the Victorian Government’s 100 Neighbourhood Batteries Program.  

The batteries collect and store clean energy gathered from rooftop solar panels and distribute it to the community when power usage is high. This reduces the dependency on fossil fuels, provides increased access to renewable energy and support the transition to 100% renewable energy.

There are four community facilities in Yarra that will house these batteries:

• Maxwell Sutherland Pavilion (Fairfield)  

• Alphington Park Pavilion (Alphington)  

• Mark Street Hall (North Fitzroy)  

• Fairlea Reserve Netball Complex (Fairfield)  

Yarra City Council Mayor Stephen Jolly says that community batteries are a great way to give the community access to renewable energy at a time when it’s greatly needed. 

“Community batteries drive down costs and empower the community to take ownership of their energy use,” he says. 

“Our aim is to develop simple and clear model that can be scaled across Yarra and beyond,” he says. 

Yarra City Council will contribute $44,000, and will work with CitiPower, Jemena and PacificBlue to deliver the project.