The Yarra Energy Foundation offers services to support the successful delivery of community energy projects and solutions.
Our mission is to facilitate the uptake of renewable energy and energy efficiency in all parts of our community.
YEF is a not-for-profit organisation core-funded by the City of Yarra and is governed by an independent board of directors.
‘Can you tell us if our community battery project is viable?’
A feasibility study highlights key aspects of technical and financial viability.
A study includes:
Our recommendations include:
We also assist clients with site selection, and consider:
See a sample table of contents
How to best integrate community batteries into your strategy?
Community batteries can help local councils:
Community batteries how the power to shape the local energy system and therefore could assist your council deliver:
YEF provides technical advice so that councils can leverage the benefits of more locally stored renewable energy, while managing and mitigating risks that come with implementation.
Consulting services to remove the complexity and uncertainty from procurement, to planning, and community engagement, and lower the risk of your project and investment.
Break down barriers with expert advice with our range of consulting services, including but not limited to:
Resources that may answer many of your questions.
Read about our community engagement approach.
Find a trusted project manager to ensure your project is comprehensive and delivered on time.
Community battery projects are complex and therefore require specialised project management services.
YEF and our delivery partners can take full responsibility for the management of the project from inception to handover. All aspects of the project are covered, including liaising with the electricity distributor and the local council, setting up all commercial arrangements, sourcing all equipment and installations services, setting up the legal structure of system ownership (if required), engaging with local stakeholders, managing the planning process, establishing and delivering on a budget agreed with the client.
What we need to get started:
A Scope of Works will follow detailing all aspects of the project and its estimated cost.
Watch this example project journey
We can develop and launch localised solar and/or energy efficiency programs to assist councils reach climate targets.
The installation of solar and energy efficiency upgrades are essential methods to reduce carbon emissions and energy bills within households. The widespread uptake of these products helps councils reach sustainability goals/targets and reduce residents’ energy costs.
Main objectives of these programs are:
YEF has successfully delivered bulk buys over the last 10 years with a wide range of stakeholders that include Local Government, State Government and CALD community groups. These programs have developed excellent relationships with accredited suppliers, resulting in many MWs of solar PV being installed along with reverse cycle heating/cooling, hot water heat pumps, LED lighting, and induction cooktops.
Read about our Hume Solar Roll Out as an example bulk buy program. With over 200 systems installed with a generation capacity of 1MW, the Hume Solar Roll Out is one of the most successful localised bulk buy program in Australia.
We have a small team of extremely passionate energy experts with decades of combined industry, governmental, business, and sustainability experience. But our expertise is more than just technical. It also encompasses the community energy sector, community engagement, and the social dimensions of energy, and we bring the social license needed to deliver projects on time and on budget. We know that energy is an opportunity for engagement, education and empowerment in addition to the technological transformation to a zero-carbon future. Read more about our people and board of directors.
