Stakeholders, industry partners, special guests and community members earlier this month gathered at the Old Beechworth Gaol for Indigo Power’s launch for the first of seven community batteries across regional Victoria and southern New South Wales.

The rollout under the organisation’s $4.7 million regional energy resilience project has been supported by $3.4 million funding from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA).

The launch marked a major milestone for Indigo Power's largest project.

The project followed a detailed feasibility study across North East Victoria identifying community battery sites that maximised community benefit.

Close to seven years ago, Indigo Power installed solar panels to provide its first customer – the Old Beechworth Gaol (OBG) - with onsite renewable energy.

Indigo Power Managing Director Ben McGowan said the community battery was an important demonstration of community-led energy solutions.

Chief executive for OBG-based Australian Centre for Rural Entrepreneurship (ACRE), Matt Phfahlert, said ACRE’s goal has been to work alongside community organisations and community leaders in rural communities who want to unlock the power of entrepreneurship and social enterprise.

“The thrilling thing about what Indigo Power has done here is they have built a social enterprise business that trades in the open market but also exists for a social or environmental purpose with seven communities,” he said.

“Indigo Power has a model that goes way beyond our area.

“As our world becomes more uncertain and more complex, governments are reaching out to communities-led initiatives.

“This town is subject to some serious climatic emergency conditions around fire and is likely to in the future.

“The battery could provide refuge for thousands of local people during a climate emergency when the grid goes down, as the site could have up to four days power supply.

“It’s extraordinary that this has come about through local people acting and building a model around it.”

Indigo Power chair Rick Thwaites said partnerships have been critical in the project's success including federal, state and local governments.

Dr Thwaites said project partners included BankWAW, Pixii, Ausnet, Indigo Shire Council, ACRE and Totally Renewable Beechworth.

Dr Thwaites said the system was designed to lower cost and improve resilience with the community battery having 99 kilowatts of additional solar and 340 kilowatt hours of battery storage.

Mr McGowan said backup storage was becoming increasingly important and essential for rural communities.

“By placing community batteries at key sites, we can support the community’s ability to respond during emergency events and power outages, strengthen the local grid, and share locally generated renewable energy with households every day," he said.

Totally Renewable Beechworth (TRB) committee member Peter Anfruns said TRB had supported submissions by Indigo Power to ARENA (federal funding body) and a neighbourhood battery program run by the Victorian government.

“It’s a goal we’ve had for Beechworth back since around 2020, we’ve had a TRB member on the steering committee, and this is fantastic,” he said.

Many people joined a tour to hear about the battery and view the system set up around the gaol.