Vision
The Solar Cities’ visionary energy initiative brings together industry, business, government and communities to rethink the way we produce, use and save energy.
In seven key locations across Australia, the Solar Cities’ vision is to create new partnerships and trial ways to save energy, increase up-take of Australia’s leading-edge technologies, reward energy efficiency and solar power generation, and showcase the economic and environmental benefits of wiser energy choices.
Building expensive infrastructure to meet increasing demand for energy at peak times adds to future electricity prices. By using solar technologies in place of grid-drawn electricity, and by introducing simple ways to save energy, Solar Cities should identify alternatives to simply building more infrastructure. This may help to deliver electricity at the right price, when and where it is needed, now and into the future.
Solar Cities—working together to secure Australia’s energy future.
Mission
The Australian Government’s Solar Cities program is a partnership between all levels of government, industry, business and local communities to trial sustainable energy solutions.By changing the way we view and use energy, and gathering valuable data to inform future policies, Solar Cities is creating a new energy future for Australia.
Australia’s seven Solar Cities are: Adelaide, Alice Springs, Blacktown, Central Victoria, Moreland, Perth and Townsville. Each of the Solar Cities is at a different stage of development and operation.
Each city is trialing a unique combination of solar power (PV), solar hot water, smart meters, energy efficiency measures and cost-reflective pricing.
Each Solar City differs slightly in what it is seeking to trial and offer to the community but all are gathering vital information and data about energy use behaviour in Australian homes and businesses.
The information gathered through the Solar Cities program will assist:
- householders to better manage their energy use, make cleaner, greener choices and save money.
- industry including small businesses, to test sustainable energy options in a low-risk environment.
- electricity companies to better understand the extent of cost savings in servicing peak energy demand periods.
- governments to develop future energy and greenhouse policy.
