Junee Shire Community Power Project Meeting Next Week

Image : Public Domain

Residents of Junee in New South Wales have been invited to a Council-supported meeting that will gauge the level of interest in solar power and other alternative energy technologies in the area.

Junee, home to around 6,200 people, is located in the Riverina region of New South Wales, approximately 40 kilometres from Wagga Wagga.

The meeting is being held with view to forming a committee that will assist the community in reducing their electricity costs and taking a more sustainable approach to energy.

“Energy costs are rising dramatically and the technical advancements in power generally are changing rapidly,” says the meeting announcement. “There are a myriad of opportunities for individuals and the community to embrace these changes for a cheaper and more sustainable future.”

Meeting Details:

Where: Junee Ex Services Club, Aurora Room
When: Monday 31 July 2017, 5.30PM

The Ex-Services Club is a fitting place for such a discussion – the club has a 100 kilowatt system installed on its rooftop.

According to the latest available data from Australia’s Clean Energy Regulator, there were 286 small-scale solar power systems installed in Junee’s postcode (2663) as at the beginning of this month, collectively representing 1.143MW capacity.

Just as a general indication of the benefits of solar, a new 5kW solar power system installed on a north facing roof in neighbouring Wagga Wagga could be expected to produce an average of around 20.5 kilowatt-hours of clean electricity a day. That amount is more than what the average Australian household consumes daily – so there’s potential for significant electricity bill savings to be gained by Junee households.

Depending on the electricity retailer, Junee solar households can expect to receive anywhere from 9c – 15c per kilowatt hour for any electricity generated by their solar panels that isn’t used in the home and is exported to the mains grid.

Junee residents wanting to do some pre-meeting reading on solar energy might be interested in perusing our solar for beginners guide.

It’s been encouraging to see so many Councils in Australia backing solar power. Each week we’ve been hearing of  new projects large and small being commissioned, considered or supported by local governments. Just recently, we’ve mentioned projects associated with Sunshine Coast (QLD) and Kwinana (WA) councils.