Hopetoun Courier & Mallee Pioneer
Thursday 20/3/2008 Page: 1
A NEW group is being formed in Hopetoun to explore the area's renewable energy generation options and will meet at 7:30pm Monday March 31, at Gateway BEET. The group intends to discuss the renewable energy generation options outlined by the Hopetoun Community Sustainable Energy Initiative and will learn more about a Ballarat community group that has been successful in achieving community action on local renewable energy and climate change issues.
The Hopetoun Community Sustainable Energy Initiative, a research project undertaken by the University of Ballarat's National Centre for Sustainability (NCS: UB), reported that Hopetoun had some very good opportunities to generate renewable energy and recommended a community group be established to identify the community's interests and priorities, and to build on these opportunities.
This research, recently completed by NCS: UB researcher Lisa Kendal, found that Hopetoun had opportunities to access renewable energy at a number of levels. There are opportunities for individuals to use solar energy to heat their water in their homes, and to feed electricity back into the grid using photo-voltaic gridconnection systems. Community buildings have the opportunity to use geothermal energy (heat from under ground) for heating and there is also significant potential for the Hopetoun area to generate electricity from biomass (or organic) sources, such as cropping residues.
The results of this research were presented to the community at the Hopetoun Future Energy Day, and there was considerable interest from the participants in forming a local group to act on some of the options detailed in the report. To access an electronic copy of the Hopetoun Community Sustainable Energy Initiative report, please visit the NCS: UB website www.ballarat.edu.au/ncs
If you are interested in being part of the Hopetoun Future Energy Group please come along!
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