If a week is a long time in politics then a month could be an eternity in the world of community batteries. And there has been a lot of progress for Village Power since we were in touch in July . . .

Welcome to the July issue of the Village Power newsletter! This month, Graeme is travelling. In his absence, David Craven has taken on the role of Acting President. Read his report here.

Our shift away from implementation of the battery-as-a-service subscription service to the 100% Local Renewable Energy (LRE) program is being considered by Government officers administering the Neighbourhood Battery Initiative funding program. At this stage, I cannot tell you or indicate the likely decision on whether Village Power will continue to receive funding for our project. I can tell you that it is down to the wire.  

I am pleased to say that Village Power has selected a new commercial partner . . .

What a roller-coaster year for Village Power Inc (VP). We began the year with our $750,000 grant and a plan to install and operate the battery by year’s end. We remained precariously on-track delivering milestones until we hit the brickwall presented by insurance in August 2024. . . .

What a roller-coaster year for Village Power Inc (VP). We began the year with our $750,000 grant and a plan to install and operate the battery by year’s end. We remained precariously on-track delivering milestones until we hit the brickwall presented by insurance in August 2024. . . .

Treading water. You know when you are in deep water, and you need to keep your head above the waterline. That is how I would describe our current status . . .

Welcome to the Year of the Battery. Well that’s the plan . . .

Do you remember the board game Snakes and Ladders? Laura Cacho and I delivered our presentation, Community Energy - It Shouldn’t Be This Hard, to a packed room at the All Energy conference in October . . .

Precarious. Until recently we would say that we were precariously on track to delivering the battery according to our contract schedule. At this point, we can just say that delivery is precarious! . . .

How long can you hold your breath? Our team has been collectively holding ours for 6 weeks anxiously awaiting the closure of the VP tender. With excitement and relief I can now say, we received three very interesting proposals . . .

Over the past 6 weeks our Delivery Team has been working through the creation of a set of tender documents that define the battery and how we aim to bring it to life with the energy subscription model . . .

At the weekend, I was reflecting on how far Village Power has come over the past few years. Two years ago we were half a dozen people passionately pursuing an idea and writing a feasibility study . . .

As we continue to say, we remain precariously on track to delivery of the Alphington Community Subscriber Battery . . .

I am pleased to report that at the Village Power AGM on March 18, the following people were elected to the Board . . .

2024 is going to be a big year at Village Power with the Alphington Community Battery now in the implementation phase . . .