Partners

Government

The Australian Government’s $94 million Solar Cities Program brings governments, industry, business and community together – making the best use of everyone’s efforts, ideas and expertise to secure Australia’s energy future.

The $42 million Central Victoria Solar City project is funded by the Australian Government through the Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, the Central Victoria Solar City Consortium and other supporting organisations.


Consortium Members

Consortium members include Bendigo and Adelaide Bank, Central Victorian Greenhouse Alliance (CVGA), Origin, Powercor and ZC02e, the commercial entity set up by CVGA to manage the project. The Victorian Government, through Sustainability Victoria and the Sustainability Fund, is also a key funding contributor. Fourteen local municipalities in Central Victoria support the project.

Bendigo and Adelaide Bank – “The Bendigo and Adelaide Bank is taking part in Solar Cities because we’re keen to play a role in addressing environmental issues.  We are doing this by providing our customers and the wider communities with simple, practical, straight forward solutions that add up to a cleaner, greener and more sustainable future for everyone.”

Our sponsorship of the Central Victorian Solar City program not only includes financial support and lending facilities but the support of marketing and community engagement activities unique to the Bendigo and Adelaide Bank Group.”


Central Victorian Greenhouse Alliance (CVGA) - CVGA wrote the winning business case and submission for the Central Victoria Solar City project and established its commercial arm, ZCO2e, to manage the project and the consortium. CVGA is a membership organisation of fourteen municipalities, nine businesses and many of the climate action groups in the region.  Its vision is for a thriving community that has used the significant resources in the region to develop a low carbon economy. CVGA implements projects and supports organisations to achieve this vision.

Origin – Origin’s role in this project is to deliver a range of products such as solar photovoltaic systems, solar hot water systems and pricing plans for electricity to help the community become more sustainable with their energy use. Origin is also responsible for the construction of two 300 kilowatt solar parks on behalf of the Consortium which will be constructed in Bendigo and Ballarat.

Origin is one of Australasia’s largest gas and electricity retailers, supplying energy to more than 3 million customers in Australia and the Pacific. Our diverse product and service offerings include electricity, natural gas, LP Gas and a variety of energy-related products and services.



Powercor - Powercor is committed to the Central Victoria Solar Cities project which will help participants reduce their energy use and the impact of their energy choices on the environment. Through the project, Central Victorian householders and businesses will have the opportunity to explore how best to harness the possibilities of a range of leading edge energy meter technologies and related services. At the same time, Powercor will also gain valuable insights into what consumers want from energy distributors and how Powercor can best deliver these services. Powercor is principally contributing to the project by installing interval meters in every home and business participating in the Central Victoria Solar City trials. This trial will also inform Powercor's broader roll out of smart meters to more than one million Victorian homes and businesses over the next five years.


Sustainability Victoria and the Sustainability Fund – Through the Smart Energy Zones Program, Sustainability Victoria supports the implementation of two community solar parks in Bendigo and Ballarat. Further support is provided through the Energy and Water Task Force program for energy efficient retrofitting.

The Victorian Government Sustainability Fund, managed by Sustainability Victoria, is supporting the monitoring and reporting element of the Central Victorian Solar Cities Program.



ZCO2e – ZC02e (pronounced Zedco) is a community based special purpose company. It was established in 2005 by the Central Victorian Greenhouse Alliance (CVGA) to act as its commercial arm for managing renewable energy projects.

Local Municipalities

Local municipalities are playing a vital role in the Central Victoria Solar City project. People across the 14 municipalities in the Central Victoria Solar City project can visit their local office to learn more about the project and how to become involved.