Mallacoota’s First Community-owned Renewable Energy Project

TRiM is a small volunteer group committed to a totally renewable future for Mallacoota and district.

There is a long history to this successful project. The short form follows.

For years we have had to travel 5+ hours to participate in any Gippsland Community Energy activities. All roads led to the Latrobe Valley. Then, in early 2020, the potential for a Gippsland region-wide renewable energy initiative was made possible by a worldwide need to work online.

The ever-present Tyranny of Distance disappeared, and we were able to participate in Community Energy, Sustainability and Smart Grid initiatives on an equal footing with everyone else. We listened, learned and worked alongside people from across Gippsland, the state and sometimes the country.

When Sustainability Victoria launched the Community Power Hubs initiative, and there was talk about a Gippsland Community Power Hub, we were able to, through ‘Teamsland’, repetitively say “Mallacoota is also part of Gippsland”. The Energy Innovation Cooperative, at the other edge of Gippsland (nearly 550km away), was saying the same thing.

TRiM (then called MSEG), EICoop and GCCN cautiously agreed to putting in a joint application. Our partnership was successful. A Mallacoota project was one of 8 Implementation Ready Projects included in the funding.

This a Socially Responsible Renewable Energy story. MSEG’s work in setting up, governing and benefiting from the GCPH are works of SRRED. Our Guiding Principles are Working Towards

• stable, reliable, sustainable, 100% renewable energy
• being social enterprise based, with our focus on future-proofing Mallacoota
• energy developed and delivered by community for community
• energy justice – helping those currently ‘locked out’, and
• empowering energy consumers through data

The project is evidence of a small, remote, volunteer community organisation working responsibly on behalf of its community.

The success of this project was accomplished by MSEG engaging early, continually, openly and collaboratively with everyone involved.

1. We negotiated a 10-year mutually beneficial leasing agreement with East Gippsland Water to put 22kW of solar BTM for use cleaning our community’s drinking water.
2. We negotiated an auspicing agreement with EICoop for legal and admin support.
3. We had the support of a project officer from the GCPH.
4. We continued our ongoing relationship with RACV Solar

Despite all manner of COVID and supply chain challenges and an unacceptably tight timeframe, this project was completed on budget and very close to on time.

To me, the whole project’s SRRED ‘cred’ showed at our launch! Until that day, the important ‘others’ who’d been on this journey with us were far from us. They ALL took the time on a Saturday to travel those hundreds of kilometres to celebrate with us.

• our Client (East Gippsland Water) representatives – Plg & Performance Analyst, Exec Mgr Strategy from Bairnsdale
• Auspicor – Chair EICoop/fellow GCPH partner from Philip Island,
• Installer – Mgr RACV Solar from Bairnsdale,
• EG GCPH Engagement Team – from Lake Tyers Beach
• GCPH Program Coordinator, CEO GCCN and fellow GCPH partner – from Morwell
• our GCPH Project Officer visited previously

They spoke about their enjoyment and appreciation. It was a very special day!

In the less than 11 months since the day of our commissioning, we have:

• avoided 13.68 tonnes of CO2
• produced 25.81MWh of power
• with 91%% being used by our water corporation to provide our community with clean drinking water.