Interest in solar and battery storage through the Mallee Sun Solar Bulk-Buy was high amongst residents and farmers who attended the Information Meeting at the Swan Hill Town Hall on Tuesday, 23 March.
The event was opened by Mayor Bill Moar who outlined Swan Hill Rural City Council's partnership with the bulk-buy program which is organised by not-for-profit Central Victorian Greenhouse Alliance.
Local residents are liking the results of having solar installed on their homes, businesses and farms too.
Swan Hill resident John Payne said, "I found out about the Mallee Sun Solar Bulk-Buy when I saw a banner in the street near the Swan Hill Information Centre and then I read about it in the paper. I knew that the tate government rebates were going to drop so we thought 'now's the time'. We wanted to cut our electricity bills as reducing any of our regular utility bills is a good thing to do, particularly when you are semi-retired like I am. Plus, having solar is an asset for the house."
"The bulk-buy team were good to talk to and very helpful. They were great at supporting us with the Solar Victoria rebate process - that was a big plus as it took much of the hassle out of the process. Without their help it would have been much harder.
"Having a local installer was vital for us. We simply wouldn't have gone ahead with the Mallee Sun Solar Bulk-Buy if they didn't have a local bloke doing the install. We like to know who we are dealing with and that support is around the corner if we need it.
"We have the WiFi monitoring set up so we can see how much power is being generated by our solar system. It's good to know that its being remotely monitored and the solar supplier will get alerts if it isn't working properly and then get it fixed.
"We're happy with the quality of the installation and the whole experience. I would definitely recommend the Mallee Sun Solar Bulk-Buy to anyone in the Swan Hill region thinking about solar.
"Over 1 megawatt of solar has been installed through the Mallee Sun Solar Bulk-Buy in the last 12 months which is a great result," said Jo Kaptein Mallee Sun Solar bulk-buy organiser.
"This is good news for those people who are now able to realise solid savings on their electricity bill," she said.
"It's good news for local jobs too, as the installations have been done by Swan Hill installer, Swan Hill Solar and Electrical.
"Local community groups are benefitting too with three free solar power systems installed in the Shire - for Vivid Disability Services, Swan Hill Theatre Group and Swan Hill SES," said Ms Kaptein.
