Landmark renewable energy contract

Council has signed a landmark electricity deal that will guarantee 20 per cent of the electricity purchased for delivery of services and operations is from renewable sources. Commencing in mid 2019, Council will be buying power generated from a solar farm in Moree, NSW.

56 MW Moree Solar Farm

The Southern Sydney Regional Organisation of Councils (SSROC) coordinated a bulk electricity contract for 20 Sydney councils over a 12-month period, which was finalised recently.

In real terms, renewable energy will provide the following benefits in just the first three years:

• $90,000 of electricity savings; and
• More than 9,000 tonnes of greenhouse gases prevented from being emitted into the atmosphere.

Local solar installations

Council currently has 231 kW of solar capacity installed on various facilities which meets 1.5 per cent of our electricity needs.

A further solar rollout in early 2019, will see an additional 190kW of solar capacity producing 275,000 kWh of electricity annually taking Council to 3 per cent in total. This will mean we can produce 3 per cent of our electricity needs on our own buildings.

Looking to the future, we are investigating the potential for a solar farm right here in our local area! This is an exciting project which could potentially deliver another 20 per cent of Council's electricity needs from a clean and renewable source.

Canterbury-Bankstown Mayor Khal Asfour

These three initiatives together will help us to source up to half of our electricity from renewable sources; reducing greenhouse gas emissions and saving money. The wider community will also benefit with improved air quality, less pollution from burning fossil fuels and the knowledge that we are acting to reduce the impacts of climate change.

These projects illustrate leadership and commitment to Council's goal of a clean and green Canterbury-Bankstown.