Noosa is now home to one of Queensland's first community batteries, with the project officially launched today following the completion of installation works in Noosaville.
The community battery, located in McGregor Park, is the result of a three-year partnership between Council, Zero Emissions Noosa Inc, the Yarra Energy Foundation, Acacia Energy and Energy Queensland, supported by the Australian Government's Community Batteries for Household Solar program.
Assistant Minister for Regional Development and Senator for Queensland Anthony Chisholm said the project would help Noosa households harness more locally generated energy.
"The Albanese Government is creating a fairer energy system for all Australians.
"A key part of this is our Community Batteries for Household Solar Program, which is helping households' stores cheap electricity during the day for later use.
"We're thrilled to have partnered with Noosa Shire Council to help deliver one of Queensland's first community batteries in South East Queensland."
Noosa Mayor Frank Wilkie said the community battery was a significant milestone for Noosa and the broader clean energy transition across the state.
"This project allows us to make better use of the renewable energy already being generated in our community while helping Noosa play its part in the global transition away from fossil fuels and towards cleaner, more affordable technologies," Mayor Frank Wilkie said.
The 360Wh battery stores excess rooftop solar energy during the day and shares it back with the local neighbourhood during peak evening hours, acting as an energy bank that stabilizes the local energy grid and supports renewable energy access.
"The Noosaville community is now seeing the benefits, with more locally generated electricity going back into the grid for households to use when demand is high," Senator Chisholm said.
The McGregor Park location was chosen for the community battery because of the high concentration of solar-powered homes in the surrounding neighbourhood.
"Importantly, even people who don't have solar panels on their homes can benefit, with more renewable energy available through the local electricity network," Mayor Wilkie said.
"We've worked with project partners to address concerns around safety and noise and to ensure the battery meets stringent fire and electromagnetic field safety standards."
The battery is connected directly to the electricity grid rather than individual homes, so residents don't need to opt in to the program and will not notice any disruption to their power supply or bill.
"This project shows what's possible when community groups, industry and local government work together. The community battery will help maximise the solar energy Noosaville is already producing and make clean energy more accessible across the neighbourhood," Zero Emissions Noosa Chair Anne Kennedy said.
Extensive community engagement and feedback helped shape the project, with the Noosaville site selected due to its high concentration of rooftop solar systems and favourable local electricity network conditions.
"Community-scale energy projects like this can help reduce pressure on the grid and build community understanding of the transition underway. We're delighted to have been able to support Noosa Shire Council with this project," CEO Yarra Energy Foundation Dean Kline said.
The battery incorporates multiple layers of protection, including three safety barriers, built-in fire suppression systems, automated shutdown capability, and heat and smoke detection technology.
Noosa Mayor Frank Wilkie & Qld Senator Anthony Chisholm on the Noosaville community battery:
Community-Battery-launch-Mayor-Frank-Senator-Chisholm.mp3
