Two information sessions held in April brought approximately 150 residents and business owners to BPACC keen to find out more about the Renewable Energy Benalla and Mondo Power battery ready solar bulk buy offer.   The sessions were most informative, there were many thought provoking questions from the floor and some misconceptions cleared up - for example, to be part of a microgrid, it's not necessary to be in a grid organised by/with/for neighbours', a micro grid can apply to diverse participants located in Benalla and surrounds.  

REB's partnership with Mondo Power to provide a battery ready solar bulk buy offer for residents and businesses is now open.  With a closing date of July 31st there is still time to consider the options and express your interest. A good starting point is  Mondo Power's 'Benalla Community Energy Project' webpage.   You might find this video - 'TRY & the Yack Mini Grid' helpful, as it describes a similar project.  

​BSFG and U3A 'Towards a Sustainable Future' member Frank Dunin has contributed a reference for listening/reading of a very interesting programme - 'The Zillion Year Town' - broadcast on Ockham's Razor on Sunday 17 January 2016.  "Our cities and suburbs are unsustainable.  Their construction, maintenance, and operation consumes: cement, concrete, steel, aluminium, brick, tile, glass, marble, tarmac, coal, oil, gas, and just about every other non-renewable.  Little is reused, and only a modest proportion is recycled. Infrastructure Consultant Nick Sharp is suggesting that we live in medium-sized towns which are sustainably constructed and where all buildings would have composting toilets, which would also take all kitchen scraps.  Full hoppers would be swapped out and the material processed and sent to the food and fibre lands.  This saves water and closes the phosphate cycle before we exhaust the phosphorus mineral sources, on which today's agriculture deeply depends" .   A very thought provoking recommendation, Frank!   (link to full episode)

​Members are also buzzing about the excellent Catalyst production this week on 'Battery Powered Homes' in which Dr Jonica Newby investigates home batteries - how they work, why you will want one, how they will change the way we consume electricity & what they mean for the future of the world's power generation.  "There's a power revolution heading for our homes – a device that allows you to take power into your own hands. Its batteries, home batteries, and they've been called the holy grail of renewables – the key to the transition away from fossil fuels. ...Find out how you can be part of it.(link to full episode and transcript here).  



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