Darebin City Council submission
re: Victoria’s Renewable Energy
Roadmap
Darebin City Council (DCC) welcomes the opportunity to provide comment on Victoria’s
Renewable Energy Roadmap. Darebin is an active member of the Northern Alliance for
Greenhouse Action (NAGA) and also supports the NAGA submission to the Roadmap.
DCC commends the Victorian Government for establishing a future path to more renewable
energy through the Renewable Energy Roadmap. Darebin supports the government’s
commitment to move to a lower carbon economy, noting that this will require significant
adjustments.
DCC has adopted a Climate Change Action Plan to reduce Council’s corporate emissions and
to become carbon neutral by 2020. Council through its energy efficiency program and
purchase of 100% GreenPower for Council facilities has reduced operational greenhouse
emissions by 30 % from 2006 to 2014. Recent significant projects will improve these savings
including:

upgrading to energy efficient street-lighting

implementation of cogeneration, pool blankets, solar hot water, LEDs and other
energy efficiency technologies at two Leisure Centres

additional 150kw of solar PV on Council buildings.
DCC has adopted a Community Climate Change Action Plan to support the Darebin
community to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions with a target of zero net
emissions by 2020. A key platform in this program has been supporting the disadvantaged
and those most vulnerable to climate change impacts. This has resulted in innovative
programs targeted at low income and elderly households which are both highly represented
in Darebin including:

the Solar $aver program which has resulted in an addition of 545 kw of solar PV on
292 pensioners homes through the Solar $aver program and 306 kw through a bulkbuy program.

Cool shade – retrofitting homes with external shading.

Fan fair – providing fans and heat wave information to over 1000 vulnerable
residents and

Various bulk buy and retrofitting projects including the Light$mart program for
business.
A stronger renewable energy target in line with
the climate science
The establishment of a State Government greenhouse reduction target should be informed
by the latest climate change science. Ideally this target will ensure that global warming is
limited to 2 degrees or less1 (a target agreed to by Australia and many other nations).
Through our community consultation Council understands that whilst this is a challenging
task keeping to 2 degrees or less warming it is what our community expects of
governments. The appropriate greenhouse reduction target would provide direction for a
suitable renewable energy target.
Opinion polls2 have consistently shown that Australians strongly support renewable energy.
The most recent Climate Institute poll showed 84% of Australians support more solar and
69% support more wind in the electricity mix. What is abundantly clear is that coal is the
least supported fuel with only 13% support. Victorians want more control in how electricity
is produced and consumed and strongly support the transition to higher renewable energy
mix.
The Victorian Government has committed to a 20% renewable energy target by 2020, with
the Premier indicating that this target will be exceeded, if possible. It is noted that the ACT
government has a target of 90% renewable energy by 2020, the SA government has 50%
renewable energy target by 2025, and the national Labor Party has a target of 50%
renewable energy by 2030.
In this context DCC encourages the Victorian Government to adopt a more ambitious
renewable energy target and one in line with the climate science.
Well-funded and planned transition away from
fossil fuel based economy
DCC recognises that Victoria’s electricity supply needs to decarbonise in order to contribute
to Australia’s emissions reduction targets and to remain competitive into the future. To
reach these targets Victoria’s must increase its share of renewable energy. The Victoria
Government should therefore provide the appropriate regulatory and policy framework
which assists the development of and investment in renewable energy.
Fossil fuel generation costs are predicted to rise whilst renewable energy costs decrease.
Large scale renewable energy is already cost competitive with new fossil fuel generated
electricity in several examples throughout the world.
Multiple independent studies3 have shown that Australia’s electricity supply can be 100%
renewable by 2050 without significant departure from business-as-usual costs.
1
http://www.climatechangeauthority.gov.au/chapter-3-global-emissions-budget-2-degrees-or-less
Climate of the Nation 2015 – Australian attitudes to climate change, The Climate Institute, August 2015
3
Elliston, B, MacGill, I & Diesendorf, M. (2014) 'Comparing least cost scenarios for 100% renewable electricity
with low emission fossil fuel scenarios in the Australian National Electricity Market', Renewable Energy 66:196204.
Australian Energy Marker Operator study into 100% renewable energy by 2030 and 2050.
2
Likely advances in roof top solar PV and cost competitive battery storage will result in
further uptake of residential generation. The Victorian Government should continue to
encourage renewable energy that will displace existing fossil fuel generated electricity
through appropriate regulation and policy.
A well planned and funded transition from fossil fuels to renewables will provide less
disruption for those sectors of the economy that are negatively impacted by this transition.
A planned transition will have positive impacts for training opportunities and new
employment in the renewable and low carbon economy. The renewable energy industry has
the capacity to employ many more people than the fossil fuel industry.
Addressing barriers to renewable energy and
storage
DCC strongly supports the Victorian government commitment to address barriers to the
development of distributed generation and energy storage.
The electricity market consistently fails to recognise the true value of decentralised
renewable energy systems. It is appropriate the Victorian Government review the
mechanism for determining a fair price for a Feed-in-tariff. Excessive fees for solar
connection at the residential or commercial scale are also matters to be considered and
reviewed.
The uptake of energy storage can support the existing network and make the network more
resilient. Council supports Government leadership in policy and program support for these
emerging technological developments. Council is concerned that electricity market
uncertainties may reduce the uptake of energy storage systems. DCC encourages the
government to provide the appropriate program support measures to incentivise the uptake
of energy storage at both residential and commercial scale.
DCC supports the uptake of solar PV by low income households and community groups. It is
noted that there are significant barriers to many households (rental and higher density
units) to participate in the renewable energy transition. Leadership by the Victorian
government to provide simpler licensing arrangements for community and not-for-profit
owned renewable energy projects would be most welcome and allow greater community
participation in the energy transition.
DCC also supports the government’s intention to ensure all local governments in Victoria
have access to Environmental Upgrade Agreements. DCC has used the ‘Special Charge’ Rate
provisions of the Local Government Act to establish the innovative and award winning Solar
$aver program – see more details below.
Changes to local government regulations which facilitate and reduce unnecessary
administrative barriers for ‘voluntary participation’ in schemes such as Solar $aver would be
http://www.climatechange.gov.au/reducing-carbon/australian-energy-market-operator/100-centrenewables-study-modelling-outcomes
The Zero Carbon Australia Stationary Energy Plan, released in 2010 by Beyond Zero Emissions and the
Melbourne Energy Institute, showed how Australia could run on 100% renewable energy in a decade.
https://bze.org.au/media/releases/100-renewable-energy-advocates-validated-new-report-130501
a great example of how the Victorian Government can facilitate and expedite the transition
to a renewable energy economy.
Darebin Solar $aver Program demonstrates that
solar PV is beneficial for low income homes and
should be supported.
DCC has established a leadership position in terms of managing greenhouse gas emissions
from Council operations and in working with the Darebin community to facilitate community
emissions reduction and respond to increasing energy costs. DCC has adopted a Community
Climate Change Action Plan that sets an ambitious carbon neutral target for the Darebin
Community by 2020.
Through the new Solar $aver program solar energy is affordable and beneficial for low
income households. DCC is using a Council ‘Special rates scheme’ to allow pensioner
homeowners to pay solar PV back over 10 years. This project is providing economic, social
and environmental benefits to our community and has the potential to help low income
homes across Australia.
Further information on this program is contained in our website at:
http://www.darebin.vic.gov.au/en/Darebin-Living/Caring-for-the-environment/EnergyClimate
For further information about this submission please contact:
Gavin Mountjoy
Environmental Strategy Coordinator
Darebin City Council