Council held its second Renewable Energy Think Tank on Tuesday 6 August 2013.
With feedback from the public and ideas from the Think Tank participants, three key issues were discussed:
- Better use of bioenergy sources in the Tweed Valley.
- Trialling community-scale storage of solar PV-generated electricity and community-investment models.
- Promoting energy efficiency and literacy.
Discussions focused on opportunities to extend the operation of the Condong co-generation plant. The co-generation plant produces 50% of the Tweed Valley's electricity from the bagasse recovered during the cane crush. The plant does not currently operate in the off-season, as the price paid for power generated from the plant is too low to cover the cost of collecting cane trash or woody biomass from camphor laurel.
Promoting examples of grid independence and community-owned investment in solar farms was another key theme of discussions.
Opportunities to improve energy efficiency in the community and in local businesses were explored, and the Think Tank participants identified ways to improve energy awareness.
Some of the key initiatives raised at the second Think Tank included:
- Investigate ways of getting a better price for the power generated at the Condong co-generation plant
- Investigate local grid-independence opportunities and promote local examples
- Explore community-investment opportunities
- Promote local energy efficiency and renewable energy services and products
- Educate the local community and local businesses about energy efficiency benefits and programs
An Action Plan (90kB PDF) was developed as an outcome of the second Think Tank, with a progress report (180kB PDF) published in April 2014.
Further Information
Action Plan Progress Report - Renewable Energy Think Tank 2 (May 2014) (180kB PDF)
Action Plan - Renewable Energy Think Tank 2 (August 2013) (90kB PDF)
Background Material - Renewable Energy Think Tank 2 (August 2013) (865kB PDF)