Foundation for Rural & Regional Renewal (FRRR)
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!

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.”


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.”


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.

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.
The Mooloolah Community Centre is the home and work hub of Mooloolah Valley Community Association Inc, located on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland. The Centre is run by a Management Committee of 10 volunteers from wide and varied backgrounds including finance, defence, nursing, social work, local government and administration, and there are a team of volunteers who support the Centre by doing tasks from garden maintenance to assisting in the Op Shop. Everyone at the Centre works for the benefit of the Mooloolah community, and the positive flow-on effects are felt throughout the Mooloolah Valley postcode area.
In February 2022, the flooding closed all roads into the town, cutting it off for four days and causing a loss of power across the area. The lack of a reliable power source during this disaster revealed critical vulnerabilities in the community for being able to charge phones and stay in touch with loved ones. Additionally there was no hot water and the Community Centre couldn’t open.
After receiving $25,000 in Round 2 of the Rebuilding Futures program, funded by the Suncorp Group, the Community Centre has now securely installed a solar battery pack ready for any future disasters or power outages. The installation of the solar batteries has completed a significant preparedness project by this group, who over the last year, have added emergency lighting, directional emergency lighting and evacuation alarms so the community can be prepared and therefore more resilient in times of extreme weather events.
The Community Centre says it is ready to support the needs of the community in times of distress, including having the Op Shop open to allow people to obtain emergency clothes if required, and enabling the Welfare Officer to operate and offer vouchers for food and fuel. The website has been updated with a new ‘Community Resilience Service’ that promotes an offering of a place of refuge during disaster, including the basics like a hot drink, charging phones, using the internet and much more.

Mooloolah Valley Community Association Inc’s Events & Grants Officer, Jason Carroll