Tathra Imagines a Renewable Future

We have come down to Tathra, as part of our fact-finding mission for our upcoming solar forum.  We are fortunate to be able to arrange a meeting with Dr Mathew Nott, the man who is responsible for starting the micro generation revolution in this town. 

It was New Year’s Day and the hottest day on record for Tathra and Matt was settling in for surf life saving duties.  He was also reading Tim Flannery’s The Weather Makers when he felt inspired to do his bit toward creating a cleaner environment and averting some of the consequences of climate change. Matt, an orthopaedic surgeon by day, formed Clean Energy for Eternity, a group dedicated to promoting renewable energy in the area.

In May 2006, he galvanised the community to gather on Tathra beach.  They initially formed a sign which read Clean Energy for Eternity from the air, which then dissolved to read IMAGINE.  Imaging a future powered by renewable energy is exactly what this community has proceeded to do. 

The community of Tathra has adopted an ambitious energy target of 50/50 by 2020.  This means they must reduce their consumption by 50% and also get 50% of their energy from renewables.  The initiative by this community has also led to all of local governments in the South East adopting this target, which then propels them to act toward achieving it.

The community of 30,000 people in Tathra came together and got to work, enabling their first solar and wind installation to go up on the Surf Lifesaving Club.  Tathra also boasts Australia’s first community-owned solar farm, on Council’s sewerage treatment plant which generates 30KW and is an initiative between Clean Energy for Eternity and the local Council.  The community raised $100,000 in the space of 10 months, with community contributions and contributions from both Council and State Government.  A number of sporting events including swims in the Bega River and Lake Jindabyne, and a mountain biking event all added to the pool.  The savings from the project are invested back into renewables, resulting in a 3KW system being installed each year in the area.  Unlike many other community solar projects, where investors recover their capital with interest, this scheme is purely philanthropic.  Given that Tathra is not a particularly rich area, this is truly commendable.

The list of project completed in the area is impressive, including instalments in surf clubs, RFS buildings, churches and other community building.  More information is available on the website: 

http://cleanenergyforeternity.net.au

We are inspired to see the results of grass roots action as a response to climate change, a clear signal to politicians that Australian’s are not buying the rhetoric from Canberra.  The donations made by local people were of the order of $250, the cost of a panel.  This project has already been a catalyst for similar projects in other parts of Australia, with the birth of a chapter in the Northern Beaches already gathering momentum. 

We felt motivated by our meeting with Matt.  He invited us to visit Tathra again so we can share ideas with the community there. We are encouraged to see the transformation that is taking place in Tathra and leave knowing we will be back to learn more and share with this wonderful community.

RePower Shoalhaven: People Power at Work

We have come down to Shoalhaven to find out a little more about the RePower Shoalhaven Projects.  RePower Shoalhaven is a not for profit organisation formed in 2013 to develop community solar projects for small business and the community to collaborate in.  Very simply, the community invests in a project, a business supplies their roof for installation of the solar and signs a contract to purchase the energy from the project for a period of time, say 10 years.  During the course of the project, the investors will get their capital paid back with interests, and at the end of contract the business will inherit the infrastructure.  Community solar projects are taking off around the world and Australia

and the project at Shoalhaven Heads Bowling & Recreation Club is one such example.

We learn that $120,000 was raised from the community and investors for the installation of this 99KW system in a period of 10 days with half the investors coming from outside of the Shoalhaven area.  They plan to roll out the model on many more local buildings in the future but what they have realised is that this model can be used to fund anything in the local area via this investment process.

It is a win-win solution for all participants.  For the business, there are no upfront costs, there are savings in their power bill, the community association will maintain the system and there is social capital to be gained by this collaboration.  For the community, it gives them a great option to be actively involved in the fight again global warming, it ensures their money stays local, enhances local employment and results in a feel good project all round. 

The system was installed in Aug 2014 with 80% of the funding coming from the community and the club chipping in with 20%.  The estimated savings to the club is approximately $400,000 during the lifetime of the panels with an estimated investor return of 7.8%, a much higher return than is currently available from banks.   

Here we see a business model that has financial, social and environmental benefits.  The club were obviously attracted to the debt-free financing solution and it is a great example for other businesses to follow.  During our time there, we met with a council representative to discuss more detail about the project.  We learnt that RePower Shoalhaven have approached Council with a proposal to collaborate on a similar project but unfortunately, it is not a simple solution when it comes to a big consumer of power such as Shoalhaven Council.  They already purchase cheap energy through bulk State Electricity Contracts, so would have to sign up for paying a higher price for solar energy.  The roof of   

the Council building is also reaching its use-by-date and hence putting expensive infrastructure on the roof is not a viable option.

What we hadn’t realised was also the fact there was a risk the panels could be subject to vandalism so protecting this valuable asset would be challenging.  Council is currently capturing its gas from landfill and they intend to look at the possibility of converting this to electricity in the future.  So, while the model might not be the most viable solution for Shoalhaven Council there are many other businesses for whom this would be an ideal solution. 

It was inspiring to once again be in a community that is actively working toward a renewable future.  People power at work in another part of Australia, doing its part in the renewable revolution. 

Faces, Places, Races - Great Exposure in Local Papers

The Hornsby Advocate and the Telegraph have given great exposure to my exhibition which has just opened as part of the HeadOn 2015 festival. 

Read More:  Daily Telegraph Article

We bumped in on Monday

The exhibition will be held at the Wallarobba Arts and Culture Centre on Edgeworth David in Hornsby.  

EMPower Parramatta: Helping to Grow Solar Usage in Parramatta

We are excited to be facilitating an event in Parramatta to help grow solar usage in Parramatta.  The event is targeted toward enabling the community, business and solar installers get involved in the solar revolution.  All information in the attached flyer.

Standing Up for Solar

Today, Solar Citizens launched the Stand Up for Solar campaign in Sydney.  In a country as sunny as Australia, it is unthinkable that we are still fighting for the right for solar power.  While our politicians believe that coal is good for humanity, the general public believes otherwise.  In fact, over 1.3 million Australian households have already invested in solar power and this number is growing daily.  

There was quite a buzz in the air as the event got going.  The room was packed but the majority of people there were already solar converts.  The idea was to galvanize the audience to spread the word, sign petitions in favour of a realistic Renewable Energy Target (RET), form alliances and keep working in their communities.  

A number of speakers from industry specialists to community activists were on hand to share their stories.  We learnt that the government might have inadvertently given solar a boost with their $20,000 tax write off for small business expenses.  

These businesses could potentially use this write off to invest in solar.  However, a number of threats to the expansion of solar power still exist.  The paltry feed-in tariffs are not a great incentive.  Even those who got in early and are on a more favourable rate will lose this soon. There is a possibility that electricity retailers could increase the fixed cost of electricity further undermining the uptake of solar.  

Also on show at the even was one of Australia’s first electric-powered luxury cars – the Tesla.  These vehicles are taking off around the globe but are still way beyond the reach of most people.  With a range of approximately 440km and a charging network that is now being rolled out in Australia, the future looks promising.  People were also excited to see the Zero electric motorcycle which is not only charged by solar panels, it can also be used as a battery to store excess solar energy. 

The solar industry is growing exponentially.  Have you joined the revolution or are you willing to take the risk of being left behind?  Are you an early adopter or are you a laggard? 

You Are What You Waste: Raising Awareness about Food Waste

I have been engaged by a local Council to work on a documentary photography project, ‘You Are What You Waste’.  The project is right up my street, as it not only involves some creative photography, it involves aspects of sustainability. This project is a collaboration with the NSW EPA Waste Less, Recycle More initiative funded from the waste levy. 

Currently more than 800,000 tonnes of food waste is thrown out each in NSW; that’s more than 1.3 of our household rubbish. This project explores food and packaging waste and will help identify the benefits of reducing organic waste going to landfill and contamination in the recycling bin.

Participating households are required to retain all of their food waste and packaging during the course of a week.  They are also required to keep a record of their household expenses on food, and shop for the same groceries at the end of that week.  Then, together with Council officers, PolisPlan will photograph and document the food they consumed and the waste they generated.

Four households have signed up for the project. After this exercise is carried out all households participate in a workshop designed to teach them techniques to reduce waste and the process will then be repeated. They are given a handy toolkit with lots of goodies such as reusable lunch bags and recipes to help them develop good food habits. Many of those who have put up their hands for this project are already very aware of the issues related to food waste.  Some of the households are already using worm farms and compost bins, so their action plans will be more challenging.

While most Australians are good recyclers, many people don’t realise that a large part of their ecological footprint is as a result of the type of food consumed.  By choosing food that has less packaging, has not travelled vast distances and has been produced in a sustainable way, we can help reduce our footprint.   This project will give people access to a list of the closest farmers markets and one of the families pledge to shop more at such places. 

It is an interesting project to work on and we are excited about the variety of projects that we are getting involved in. We have also offered to prepare some infographics and put together a documentary video that will animate some of the still images and convey the story graphically.

Pink Sari Project - Raising Awareness for Breast Screening

It has been a privilege to be selected to work on the Pink Sari Project. I was surprised to hear that Indian and Sri Lankan women (aged 50-74) in NSW have one of the lowest rates of participation in the BreastScreen NSW program. The NSW Multicultural Health

Communication Service together with BreastScreen NSW and the Refugee Health Service are working hard to increase this statistic and the photographic exhibition that will be held later this year is one means of communicating this message.  The project is funded by the Cancer Institute of NSW.

The project has engaged ten photographers of Indian and Sri Lankan backgrounds to work with and take portraits of a breast cancer survivor from the subcontinent.  The objective of this project is to increase awareness of the low mammogram rates in the community and to share success stories that will empower Indian and Sri Lankan women to take charge of their health.

I’ve been paired with Maina Gordon, a breast cancer survivor who lives close to me. She has lived with MS for the past 20 years, been diagnosed with and survived breast cancer and undergone a bi-lateral mastectomy. Despite these set backs, I found a cheerful woman, who continues to contribute to society through her professional work as a solicitor and as a volunteer. Her story inspires me.

One of the images I shot was of Maina holding an item that helped her through the tough times. She has picked a book from the author Ekkhart Tolle. His book, The Power of Now is one that inspired me during a low time in my own life where I was searching for answers. This is only one of many similarities I found in Maina. We are only a few years apart, we come from the subcontinent, and we both have a passion to live life to the fullest!

An photographic exhibition of the images from this project will be launched in August. For now, all I can say is, if you are over fifty and have not had a mammogram, then it is time to do so!