Narooma’s Renewable Energy Expo is on this Saturday 25 November in Narooma’s Sport & Leisure Centre from 10am until 4pm.
‘Increasing numbers of people see power security and its cost as major issues,’ said Expo coordinator Frank Eden. ‘The Expo is a great opportunity to talk with suppliers and experts about reducing your power bills, cutting emissions and being more sustainable, and about possible investment opportunities.’
Exhibitors will include most local solar panel and solar hot water suppliers, battery suppliers, independent advisors on solar panel technologies and cutting costs and reducing emissions, advisors on investing in solar farms, as well as hybrid and electric cars, electric bikes, and rechargeable battery operated tools including chainsaws and lawnmowers.
Divall’s Earthmoving and Haulage from Goulburn will showcase their sustainability initiatives with recycling and solar energy. One initiative is to recycle concrete from demolished buildings and roadways by crushing it and then reusing it in driveways, paths and farm roads.
Divall’s has also installed an array of 140kW solar panels on its workshop roof which they hope will reduce their grid power consumption by at least one-third. Planning is underway for battery storage with one complication being a lot of their machinery uses three-phase power. Divall’s is also assisting Community Energy for Goulburn by providing land for its upcoming community-owned Solar Farm.
Interest in solar farms is growing around the south-east region. Australia’s first community owned solar farm was built at Tathra in 2015 to provide power to the town's sewerage works, the result of a community partnership project between Clean Energy for Eternity (CEFE) and Bega Valley Shire Council.
Eurobodalla Shire Council has already installed more than 630kW of solar power capacity at 26 council facilities including Kianga Sewage Treatment Plant and Narooma Swimming Pool, and is investigating the potential of constructing a large scale solar farm in the shire and battery storage.
At the Expo, CEFE representatives and Clear Sky Solar Investments will discuss future community renewable energy projects on the Far South Coast.
The Expo will be officially opened at 10.30am by Member for Eden Monaro Dr Mike Kelly who is a great advocate for increased investment in renewable energy and for realistic reductions in emissions.
Saturday night’s Expo Forum at Club Narooma (starts at 7.00pm, entry free) features three speakers, all leaders in their field. They are:
Kylie Hitchman from ClearSky Solar Investments
Caleb Fisher from Divall's Earthmoving and Bulk Haulage in Goulburn
Mark Shorter, Sustainability Coordinator with Eurobodalla Shire Council which aims to source 100% of its electricity from renewable energy by 2030.
A panel discussion will follow with a wide range of experts.
An Expo dinner at 6pm at Club Narooma will precede the forum. Dinner bookings are essential via the website.
More information at expo.naroomarotary.org.au.
Above: One small area of Narooma around where the Expo will be this Saturday is basically a small solar farm. Four buildings between them have 170kW solar panel capacity - Club Narooma (the largest 100kW), O’Brien’s Hotel, Narooma Kinema and Narooma Swimming Pool (shown here). Photo courtesy Narooma Electrics Data Solar Electrical and Ian Edwards of South Coast Drones.
Above: One small area of Narooma around where the Expo will be this Saturday is basically a small solar farm. Four buildings between them have 170kW solar panel capacity - Club Narooma (the largest 100kW, shown here), O’Brien’s Hotel, Narooma Kinema and Narooma Swimming Pool. Photo courtesy Narooma Electrics Data Solar Electrical and Ian Edwards of South Coast Drones.
