What’s motivating rural NFPs to adopt clean energy?

Insights: 26 January 2025

By Sarah Matthee, Climate Solutions Lead

Reflecting on all the energy projects supported through our grants programs, it’s impressive to recognise that we’ve directly supported over 50 community groups to install solar and/or battery energy solutions, totalling almost $1.2M, in the last six years. That’s a lot of clean energy!

People watching a person present
Sarah Matthee, Climate Solutions Lead

But if we dig into that, there’s some interesting motivating factors that leverage the impact of such clean energy installations and mean so much, to so many:

Lower operating costs

Solar installations are seen as great ways for community groups to lower their operating costs.

Of these 50+ grants, a third expressed financial motivations for their grant – with 14% indicating that their primary outcome was ‘improved financial security’, and 18% envisioning that it contributed to ‘stronger local economies’.

For example, the Hotspur Hall reported that the system already saved their Management Committee $200 in the first six months.

The Moree & District Historical Society tells us, “The savings which the Society is already enjoying with reduced power accounts will enable us to concentrate on further historical preservation projects. Without the grant funds the Society would not have been able to go ahead with the project as the huge cost would have been out of reach.”

Totally Renewable Yackandandah used a Community Group Futures to purchase a generator, enabling the organisation to increase its capacity to reduce costs and remain available during emergencies. Photo credit: Dr Juliette Milbank
Tailem Bend Community Centre received a Small Grants for Rural Communities grant to support their Solar Sustainability project.

Energy or telecommunications security

In the wake of disasters, such as the Black Summer bushfires where power was lost for prolonged periods, solar and battery installations have been sought after by organisations seeking to improve their energy or telecommunications security.

Forty-one percent of these grants indicated that their primary outcome was to improve community resilience, with 25% saying the grant would provide a greater ability to deal with and respond to community level challenges, and 16% saying the grant enables their community to innovate or respond to local opportunities or issues.

The Tarnagulla Fire Brigade’s solar panel and battery installation “gives us as a brigade a sense of comfort that our brigade facility preparedness means we will be able to function without disruption because of the backup power supply we have installed.”

Access to energy also underpins a functioning telecommunications system, with some communities seeking alternatives to ensure ongoing communication. A solar powered UHF CB repeater for the Mingoola community was identified as an important disaster preparedness initiative, “We have achieved stronger individual and community resilience through discussion and identification of our needs, especially during floods and other emergencies. Having the repeater station and the handheld CB radios has improved community connectivity and resilience. The supporting program of putting in place contingency plans for disaster preparedness in small groups, so they can support each other, not just as neighbors, but as a support network in need.”

Jason Carroll standing next to three batteries installed at Mooloolah Valley Community Association Inc
Mooloolah Valley Community Association Inc received a Rebuilding Futures grant to install a solar battery pack ready for any future disasters or power outages.
Tarana Volunteer Bushfire Brigade received a Volunteer Emergency Services Fund grant to install a solar powered battery backup system.

Environmental health or sustainability

The environmental impact of clean energy is a motivator for some, but such considerations are usually bundled with the number of benefits such systems provide:

Only 2% of grantees indicated the primary outcome of their grant was to promote environmental health or sustainability.

The Manning River Aero Club shared a range of impacts with us, “I thought a 6kw solar system would be good, a 6kw solar system with a 13kw battery is unbelievable. The complete system has been installed for 40 days. In that time we have been self sufficient for 39 of those days… I am proud that we achieved what we set out to achieve that is reduce our costs and greenhouse gas emissions. Our latest  electricity bill tells us our costs are down by 65% for the billing period. Incredible reduction considering we only had the solar connected for a third of the period….Our greenhouse emission reduced from 0.9 tonne to 0 tonne for the month of December 2021.”

Likewise, the multi-pronged benefits were important to Tomorrow Today Foundation in Benalla, “The solar installation and meter consolidation have been spectacularly successful. The total power bill for our two companies (community foundation and education foundation) for the twelve months to September 2021 was an 80% reduction in power costs! As well as impressive ongoing cost savings, we are proud to be taking positive action to benefit the environment.”

While these examples are focused solely on discrete solar and/or battery installations, we also wanted to highlight the work of many who are investigating or establishing larger clean energy projects and require support across their project lifecycle, or where the support that is needed is not so much the installation, but instead in scaffolding or acting as a backbone to convene conversations and networks.

For example, FRRR has made a grant to Original Power supporting the work of Ngardara Cooperative Ltd to establish their own solar microgrid (2.1MW solar array, 3.2MW battery), providing a clean energy source and saving an estimated 1ML of diesel per year. The grant contributed to governance and capacity development of community members so that they are supported to lead the development and operation of a utility-scale solar microgrid.

Ngardara Cooperative Ltd used a Community Led Climate Solutions grant to establish their own solar microgrid.

FRRR’s grants supporting the work of Southcoast Health and Sustainability Alliance have included engaging a coordinator who supported a number of not-for-profit organisations locally to investigate their best energy solutions, with the organisation undertaking a range of bulk buy or community solar installations.

It’s important that there are opportunities for organisations of all sizes, sectors and locations, to investigate and act upon the clean energy solutions that are right for their community.