Sender: Bass Coast Shire Council – ABN 81 071 510 240
Address:
PO Box 118
Wonthaggi VIC 3995
Tel: 1300 BCOAST (226 278)
Email: basscoast@basscoast.vic.gov.au
Web: www.basscoast.vic.gov.au
To: Hon Lily D’Ambrosio MLA
Minister for Energy and Resources
Address:
Department of Economic Development
Level 36, 121 Exhibition Street
MELBOURNE VIC 3000
Sent via email: renewable.energy@ecodev.vic.gov.au.
30 September 2015
Dear Minister D’Ambrosio
Written submission to Victoria’s
Renewable Energy Roadmap
Thank you for the opportunity to make a submission to the Victorian State Government’s
Roadmap for renewable energy in Victoria. Please accept this officer’s submission from
Bass Coast Shire Council.
Bass Coast Shire Council supports the Government’s commitment to increase the supply of
renewable energy generation in Victoria’s energy market, and establish itself as a leader in
renewable energy development.
Council has a strong focus on supporting and transitioning to a renewable energy future.
The Council Plan 2013-2017 includes:
Key Strategic Objective: Natural Environment: Our unique natural environment is protected,
maintained and enhanced for the enjoyment of all.
The strategy to achieve this is to:
Mitigate the forecast impacts of climate change by integrating the predictions into our
decision making and planning for infrastructure, services and utilities.
Bass Coast Shire’s prosperity comes from its environment which, in turn, drives its economy
through liveability, tourism and agriculture. A sustainable environment with sustainable
development is critical to our future.
Bass Coast Shire Council is the lead agency to moving our municipality towards a
sustainable future, particularly during this period of growth and change.Bass Coast Shire
Council is partner to ComMET: Communities making energy together. This group is made up
of a number of individuals and local agencies and business who have partnered together to
support and progress strongly governed, financially, socially and environmentally sustainable
Community Energy Projects in Southern Gippsland.
Officers have considered the Renewable Energy Roadmap and provide the following
responses for consideration when developing the Renewable Energy Action Plan:
1. General comments
Bass Coast Shire Council supports the objectives and priorities set out in the Roadmap and
commends the Government on committing to tackle the various barriers impeding the
development of renewable energy across the state.
Bass Coast Shire Council is eager to see policy and program changes that are important for
growing the Community Energy sector within Victoria.
1.5 How success will be measured
The Government aims to produce at least 20 per cent of the state’s electricity generation
from renewable sources by 2020.
Whilst, it is noted that other states (South Australia and Australian Capital Territory) have
set ambitious renewable energy targets, Victoria needs to set a target that is achievable,
measurable and comparable. Setting an achievable target of at least 20 per cent by 2020
for the next five years will show that the Victorian Government is serious about setting and
achieving targets. This provides a strong message to the Victorian community. Bass Coast
Shire Council supports the 20 per cent target.
3.1 Advocate for strong Federal Government policy on renewable
energy
Bass Coast Shire Council supports the Victorian Government’s continued advocacy to the
Federal Government for strong renewable energy policy leadership at a national level. It is
clear that without strong market signals investment in the renewable energy industry and
therefore job growth will continue to stall. A national renewable energy target would
provide certainty to industry.
3.4 Review policy options to transition generation stock in Victoria
As a partner to ComMET: Communities making energy together, Bass Coast Shire Council
would encourage the Victorian Government to consider the introduction of a new policy lever
to secure and/or pricing for community energy projects greater than 1000kWs, when
reviewing suitable policy options to transition Victoria’s wholesale generation stock to
renewable energy.
Community Energy large scale solar projects are currently restricted by existing policy in this
space.
4.2 Removing barriers to innovative projects and business models
Bass Coast Shire Council would like to see virtual net metering be considered as an option in
responding to the technical constraints which limit the connection of small to medium-scale
distributed generation to the Victorian network.
This option would remove existing significant barriers to progressing Community Energy
projects within the Bass Coast region that are looking to establish community-based
renewable energy generation for local use.
5.1 Provide support for pioneering support for community energy
projects
As a partner in ComMET: Communities making energy together, Bass Coast Shire Council is
pleased to see such strong Victorian Government support for community energy projects. It
is abundantly clear that without Government support, community energy projects struggle
to make it through the complex regulatory environment.
Bass Coast Shire Council would encourage the Government to develop and deliver a grant
program for several strategic community energy projects, in addition to the proposed
actions of:

Engaging stakeholders about what information and resources community energy
projects need to succeed in Victoria;

Creating a Community-Owned Renewable Energy How-to-Guide for current Victorian
conditions; and

Providing financial support through the New Energy Jobs Fund.
The Sustainability Victoria grant to Hepburn Wind remains the benchmark and best- practice
approach for a milestone-based grant to take larger community energy project models from
an idea to investment ready over a longer period of time.
There is also a need for the Government to recognise the key community organisations in
Victoria that are already actively engaging stakeholders about what information community
energy projects need to succeed in Victoria, and the complex issues associated. Examples
where Government could to be working with such organisations are ‘Embark’, ‘People's
Solar’, particularly when developing the proposed How-to-Guide.
6.2 Providing information to support renewable energy uptake
Under initiative 2 - There’s a need for State-wide strategic planning that identifies
appropriate future, regional locations and feasible networking to existing infrastructure for
future large scale renewable energy within/across the state.
This strategic planning could be similar to Denmark’s offshore wind energy site reservation
(Wind Turbines in Denmark: Danish Energy Agency:
www.ens.dk/sites/ens.dk/files/.../wind_turbines_in_denmark.pdf
).
This strategic approach, in addition to the project update and resource maps will provide a
long-term and planned strategic approach to the growth of the renewable energy market
across Victoria.
For further information on this matter please contact Ms Deirdre Griepsma, Manager
Sustainable Environment on 1300 BCOAST (226 278).
Yours sincerely,
Cr Kimberley Brown
Mayor