Meet our second intake of participants
When Village Power opened applications for a new round of Community Energy Program participants, we were not quite sure who would come through the door. The first round of participants gave us a flavour, predominantly established homeowners in their 60s, long committed to solar, motivated by values as much as practicality. We wondered whether that was who the program naturally attracted, or whether it was simply who happened to find us first.
Now meet our second intake of participants who gave us a slightly different picture. Thirty-four new households have joined, and together they bring a set of motivations that feel both grounded and urgent.
Participants range in age from their 30s to their 80s, the program's oldest participant yet is 87, and includes young parents, solar owners, a data analyst with 35 years of greenhouse gas reporting experience, and at least one household that has already fully de-gassed and is not looking back.
What is striking about this group is what brought them here. The dominant thread is not abstract, rather it is the daily frustration of generating clean energy and having nowhere useful to put it. Eighty-two percent already have rooftop solar. But with home battery payback periods stretching beyond 20 years, most of that surplus flows back to the grid for almost nothing. "Excess solar is currently exported for free," wrote one member matter-of-factly. "So that our solar-generated power isn't wasted," wrote another. For these households, the community battery is a practical answer to a problem they see every day.
The value of what this program offers is seen in many of the comments received at registration. "I'm all for the market and citizens taking this task into our own hands." From another: "Harvesting the sun's energy shouldn't only be available to those who can afford the setup." These are people who have thought carefully about where they stand and made a deliberate choice to act locally.
Not everyone arrives with technical confidence. One member with solar panels wrote honestly: "I have no idea if they are assisting me. I'm not tech savvy and find it all very confusing but I like the idea of sharing my power with others if I have spare." Our program’s aim is to provide those kinds of insights. The mix of high and lower energy confidence means this group will be able to learn from each other.
The income picture in this cohort is more varied than you might expect. More than half report household incomes above $200,000, but alongside them are nine households earning below $60,000, including three under $20,000. The program is reaching across that divide in a way that feels important. Among the lower-income participants is the cohort's only renter, an apartment dweller whose landlord has shown no interest in energy improvements and for whom the community battery is the only realistic pathway into clean energy.
Sixty-two percent want to switch their remaining gas appliances to electric. Several households are already mid-transition, with heat pumps installed, gas cooktops earmarked for replacement, and one member running a portable induction cooktop while waiting for the right moment to make the full switch. The direction of travel is clear.
The engagement from this cohort is also expected to be high, with 94% responding they will read monthly program materials. 85% will attend group events.
With our new participants now on board, Village Power has more than 80 households participating in the Community Energy Program across Alphington and Fairfield and small parts of Ivanhoe. The battery will be finally connected towards the end of July and once energisation is complete, it will start trading in the National Electricity Market. The first Community Energy Reports (Cera) are on their way too.
If you know a neighbour who should be part of this, enrollment for intake three is underway. Simply visit our website: Community Energy Program registration