Communities across Mallee are set to benefit from more secure, affordable and reliable energy with funding to support feasibility studies into microgrid.

This is the first step to unlocking investment in microgrids, and their benefits for individual communities and the grid as a whole.

The Centre for New Energy Technologies Ltd has been awarded $1,404,750 under Round One of the Liberal National Government’s Regional and Remote Communities Reliability Fund.

Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction, Angus Taylor said the grants are an essential step towards unlocking investment in microgrids and strengthening energy reliability and affordability in the regions

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“Microgrid technology is becoming increasingly cost effective, creating the opportunity for a reliable, low cost, off-grid supply to our regional communities and industries.”

“This funding will enable many communities to realise the potential to harness innovative technologies or distributed energy resources, like solar and batteries, or reduce their reliance on costly diesel generation”

Member for Mallee, Dr Anne Webster said the project would assess the feasibility of transitioning from off-grid diesel generation or remote grid connection in Tarnagulla and Donald to microgrid technologies to ensure an affordable, reliable energy supply.

“We need to be looking at options that will help lower cost of living pressures on families and businesses in not only the cities but in the regions as well as we recover from the COVID-19 pandemic,” Dr Webster said.

“Microgrids can help reduce electricity bills for regional and remote communities but can also deliver benefits for the grid as a whole by saving hundreds of millions of dollars in network costs.”

This is an important part of our commitment to creating jobs and driving economic growth in our regions.