Shoalhaven City Council has agreed to allocate $216,000 from an upfront commercial lease payment for a Shoalhaven solar farm to council's renewable energy project fund.
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Co-developed by Repower Shoalhaven and the Melbourne based energy retailer Flow Power, the three megawatt alternating current solar farm, which has begun construction and will power local businesses, will be able to output enough electricity to power the equivalent of 12,000 homes a year.
The adjacent council-owned animal shelter will receive a 16 kilowatt solar system paid for by Flow Power as part of their contractual arrangements with council.
The mayoral minute recommended the council allocate the money to the Shoalhaven Revolving Energy Fund (REFund), a pool of council money used for investment into solar, energy efficiency and battery storage projects on council infrastructure.
Read more: The Shoalhaven gets its own solar farm
It also asked council direct the savings generated by the installation of a solar array on the council's animal shelter to the REFund.
Councillor Andrew Guile was the only councillor to vote against the mayoral minute at the Ordinary Meeting on Tuesday, August 3.
Repower Shoalhaven's goal is to eliminate greenhouse emissions through renewable energy generation commitments, emissions reductions initiatives and renewable energy purchases.
Bob Hayward, representing Repower Shoalhaven, said the Shoalhaven solar farm will be operational before the end of this year and will offset 5,500 tonnes of carbon emissions in its first year of operation.
"We seek to advance council's sustainable energy policy targets with the use of the lease payment," he said.
"Regrettably, since your policy was adopted in 2019, we've come to understand that we must do much more in our efforts to reduce emissions. We must achieve collectively, over a 50 per cent reduction in emissions in less than a decade."
He said Kiama and Wollongong councils had recognised this urgency evidenced by Kiama's commitment to 100 per cent emissions free by 2031 and Wollongong's commitment to move to 100 per cent renewable energy purchases.
Cr Guile said it was a a poor principle to ring fence funds by directing the money from the council's unrestricted budget to the REFund.
"This suggestion actually compromises council's capacity to present positive business cases for this type of activity into the future," he said.
"We need to be cognizant that the pursuit of renewable energy sources is a very worthwhile goal and we need to be committed to that. But each proposal must stand on its merits, not with some ring fenced funds that would be sitting there to fund it into the future."
Councillor Kaye Gartner congratulated Repower Shoalhaven for playing a major role in the solar farm ands the installation of solar panels at Bomaderry Bowling Club and other Shoalhaven clubs.
"I look forward to them bringing more of these projects to us so that our community can continue to benefit from the transition to a carbon free economy, have the economic benefits and the health benefits that go with it," she said.