Page 2153 - Week 06 - Tuesday, 22 June 2010
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So the government is very pleased to be providing this assistance. It has been well received across the community and is a great practical example of how the government is encouraging the uptake of renewable energy generation. It is very clear that, if we invest in the deployment of renewable energy generation, our city can become a leader in this across Australia. We can become a leader in the deployment of renewable energy generation. The feed-in tariff is leading the way in giving us the opportunity to do that. These community energy grants will assist considerably in making sure that the not-for-profit sector does not miss out on the benefits of renewable energy and that they can participate in the deployment and the rollout of this technology.
It is particularly pleasing to note that, in effect, across the city already we have a 3½-megawatt power station in operation, giving us clean energy. And that is a dispersed power arrangement across thousands of roofs across the ACT. That is a total of 3 ½ megawatts per annum of renewable energy already being generated in our city and, we hope, much more to come.
MR SPEAKER: A supplementary, Mr Hargreaves?
MR HARGREAVES: Thank you, Mr Speaker. What has been the response, minister, of those organisations who received these community energy grants?
MR CORBELL: I thank Mr Hargreaves for the question. The response has been a very positive one. Let me highlight some of the organisations that have received these grants. For example, in Mr Hargreaves’s electorate, the Tuggeranong Link of Community Houses and Centres at Conder, Chisholm, Gilmore and Isabella Plains received a grant of $25,000, providing them with the opportunity to put in place four solar hot-water systems for these community houses. I note that Ms Hunter raised the question earlier about the costs for low income households and other households when it comes to energy. Here is a practical example of how community-based care homes are reducing their costs, allowing them to spend more money in the areas of service delivery by putting in place solar hot-water as a result of this government grant.
Let us take as an example the Belconnen Baptist Church, an institution that Ms Porter would be greatly interested in. They have received a grant of $25,000 to put in place a photovoltaic system so that they can take advantage of the feed-in tariff. Also, there is the Weston Creek Community Association—again, $25,000 to put in place a photovoltaic system. There are organisations such as the university preschool and childcare centre at the ANU. I was out there a month or so ago, and they explicitly said to me: “Thank you very much for the opportunity to put in place PV on our roof. We think it’s an important thing we can show in terms of leadership, but it’s also a great way for us to offset some of the costs we face through utility bills.”
These are just some of the organisations that have received this support. One other example, as I have the time, is Sailability. I am sure Mr Doszpot would be interested in that. Sailability will also be putting in place a PV system as a result of this grants program.
MR SPEAKER: Supplementary, Ms Le Couteur?
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