Uralla Shire Council may seek more funds from Federal government and private companies to roll out the renewable energy program Zero Net Energy Town.
New South Wales-based Uralla was chosen to launch Zero Net Energy Town (Z-NET), a plan which will guide the town toward becoming Australia’s first entirely renewable energy run community.
Z-NET is a government-funded initiative, which will serve to mainly provide a framework on how the town will change its supply of traditional energy resources to local and imported renewable energy, along with implementing energy management and storage technologies. The project is expected to be completed in the next five to ten years.
However, Uralla is likely to fall short of funds to start and roll out and eventually finish the project, Uralla Shire Council Mayor Michael Pearce says.
“A ball park of $500,000 may be needed over the next months,” Pearce says.
“We’d seek Federal government funding and from private companies involved in renewable energy that can also lend expertise, such as solar energy and wind farm companies.”
Expertise would also help determine the viability of converting the town’s use of firewood into renewable technologies, potential upgrades to its hot water systems and increase the current use of solar photovoltaic (PV) systems, Pearce continues.
Z-NET will see Uralla target inefficient incandescent or halogen light bulbs, replacing them with LEDs, which use approximately one-fifth of the energy of a halogen downlight. In addition, improving home insulation, installation of roof-top solar across the shire, and improving firewood collection and land management, could see Uralla go 70 per cent of the way to achieving zero emissions. It could also collectively save 6034 residents $3 million a year.
At present, Uralla’s energy use comes from electricity (49%), firewood (45%) and LPG gas (6%), according to the Z-NET Uralla case study.
Z-NET initiative was founded by the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage Regional Clean Energy Program. Uralla was chosen among other towns to pioneer the program because of the support and commitment of its local residents to sustainable energy.