In 2014 Geelong Sustainability conducted a community survey to find out what our 1,400 members and supporters wanted us to focus our efforts on.
Overwhelmingly the message received was that Geelong Sustainability should work towards a Community Owned Renewable Energy (CORE) project for Geelong. A big ask and a first for Geelong – so we took it in stages.
First of all we formed a CORE Geelong Task Group to work out what might be possible and how we might do it. In 2015 the Task Group found some partners and things started happening. Project 1 was underway.
Our first project – CORE Crowd Funded Solar
South Geelong Primary School – 9.25kW CORE Crowdfunded Solar System
In April 2015 Geelong Sustainability in partnership with The People’s Solar launched the first ever community renewables crowd funding campaign in Geelong – to put solar panels on the roof of South Geelong Primary School.
And Bendigo Bank contributed to the effort with a donation of $5,000 from the Geelong Connected Communities grant program. Well done Chris Barker from Bendigo Bank – thanks for your support.
In total, $12,000 was successfully raised and a 9.25KW solar PV system was installed in May 2016. Needless to say, the school is delighted!
And Project 2 of the CORE Geelong story is on its way. Stay tuned!