Inner West Community Energy in Sydney, Australia | Community organisation

Inner West Community Energy

Locality: Sydney, Australia

Phone: +61 407 663 125

Address: 229 Trafalgar St 2038 Sydney, NSW, Australia

Website: http://innerwestcommunityenergy.org.au/

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25.01.2022 Today all 90 panels went up for our groups 36 kilowatt rooftop solar PV system powering the Acre Eatery at Camperdown Commons. This is a project fully funded by the Inner West community through our two massive fund-raisers over the past two years. Yep, finally its happening! We should be pumping 100% renewable energy into the grid within days. ... Gavin Gilchrist Project Manager

25.01.2022 Its been a long time coming but today construction started for our own commercial-sized solar PV system on the roof of the Acre Eatery at Camperdown Commons. Weve got 90 panels going up over the next four days, giving us a total generation capacity of 36 kilowatts. Thats about seven times the size of a typical new Inner West solar PV system today, and one of the biggest arrays in our community. This is a moment weve been working towards since 2018, when we held our first... community fundraiser at Club Five Dock in October 2018. We held another late last year at Acre Eatery. Inner West Community Energy will own the system, and Acre Eatery will pay us for the renewable energy generated, We also have a licence with the effective owner of the building, Canterbury Hurlstone Park RSL Club, to use their roof space. When complete, our system will generate around 45,000 kilowatt-hours a year, cutting carbon emissions from coal-fired power stations by around 35 tonnes a year. Well post more during this week as construction continues. Acre is closed till Friday but come on down to Mallett St for a coffee from The Container during the week and watch the action on the roof! Panels will be going up tomorrow from 7am. Pictured: the team from our solar installers Roland Lawrence Electrical. Thats Loretta Hill in front, then behind (L-R) Alex McDonald, Juan Orozco, Mick Wrigley, Brody Alonti and Roland Lawrence. Gavin Gilchrist Project Manager

25.01.2022 Were called Inner West Community Energy for good reason! Were based in Sydneys Inner West and we work hard to help people living in the Inner West install rooftop solar. But from time to time we do stray outside our comfort zone! Weve helped install solar PV in the Illawarra, Canberra, Newcastle, Sefton and today we can report weve helped a small-scale food manufacturer in Mullumbimby on the NSW North Coast, Mandy Hallinan, proprietor of Gwen Tempeh (pictured in her co...mmercial kitchen). Mandys an old friend of ours and when she said she wanted to go solar, we couldnt refuse her plea for help. We found her a reputable Clean Energy Council-accredited local solar installer, in this case Syd Welling of Sunbeam Solar. Thats Syds son and employee Roel Welling pictured on site, with Noel Rostrom on the roof. Today, Mandys making her fine artisan tempeh with energy from the sun. Syds installed a 6.6 kilowatt system comprising 20 330wTrina Honey panels and a 5 kilowatt Fronius Primo inverter. (For the technical, that means Syd has oversized the system for the inverter, which in turn means the inverter is more often running at its most efficient because solar panels rarely hit their theoretical maximum output. This is a common design feature and a good one.) Id wanted to put panels on the roof for a long while but procrastinated, thinking I had a long information search ahead of me, Mandy says. Gavin demystified the process, and even though I live in the weird and wonderful Byron Shire, he said Inner West could assist in finding a solar installer in our neck of the woods. As a small food business owner with electricity bills which make me shudder, Im excited by the prospect of saving money and doing a small bit for the environment. Thank you Inner West Community Energy! And if youre a lover of tempeh and would like to try Mandys now solar-powered Gwen Tempeh, her website lists her product stockists. See www.gwentempeh.com.au Gavin Gilchrist IWCE project manager

23.01.2022 When Inner West Community Energy asks households why they went solar, typically we hear two reasons: first, they wanted to do something good for the environment; second, they wanted to cut their power bills, and solars a great investment. For Jeanie Cherrington, both of these reasons applied. But she also adds a third: she believes its a great way to improve the value of your house. If you value-add to your house, your investment is improving by the things youre adding to... it, Jeanie says. Its like having good water tanks, having good solar, having a battery, all that sort of stuff - youre actually improving your capital investment on your asset because it makes it more attractive to sell. The more environmentally plugged in your house is, the more attractive it is for people to buy, because they come in, they dont have to do a thing, its already up and going. Jeanie and husband Tim, of Dent St, Botany, contacted us in early January asking for help in procuring a big solar PV system. Inner West Community Energy had helped Tims older brother Mark install solar at his house in Birchgrove mid-last year, so when Tim and Jeanie were ready to do the same, they came to us. While Botany is not exactly the Inner West, we could hardly turn them away! So weve done our first system in Botany, a really big one. Even though the Cherringtons have modest power use, they wanted a big system. They have a perfect roof for solar, and theyre thinking long-term when they might have an electric car so they now have a 9.1 kilowatt system comprising 24 LG panels, run through an SMA inverter, with Solar Analytics monitoring. Tim wanted to make the house as self-sufficient as possible. It was primarily to futureproof us as far as increasing power bills .We pretty much want to make the whole house self-reliant as far as power is concerned, he says. And obviously there is an environmental factor there as well. Want help going solar? Usually, homeowners who want to hear how Inner West Community Energy can help them go solar start by attending one of our regular Solar Information Nights. Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, our next information session will be online, using Zoom. Itll be at 7pm on Tuesday, March 31. Register via Eventbrite and well email you a link the day before so you can join us. We had planned our session to be at Gasoline Pony in Marrickville. Do whatever you can to continue your support for the venue during the outbreak. Gavin Gilchrist Project Manager Pictured (L-R): Harry, Polka Dot, Jeanie and Tim Cherrington, and Dash.

22.01.2022 Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, weve had to postpone our Solar Information Night at Gasoline Pony on Tuesday, March 31. Instead, well be holding a videoconference answering all your questions about how Inner West Community Energy can help you go solar. Well explain who we are, how we can help, and youll have a chance to ask lots of questions of one of our preferred solar installers. Well be doing this via Zoom, so youll need to register on Eventbrite so we can email you... the link the day before, next Monday. The videoconference will start at 7pm, Tuesday, March 31. Any problems, direct message us here or text me on 0407 663 125. - Gavin Gilchrist - Project Manager

22.01.2022 Its International Womens Day on Sunday so to mark that today were profiling the first female member of our solar installer network, Loretta Hill of Roland Lawrence Electrical. Loretta, 16, has travelled a long way to join Rolands company in Sydney. Shes from Bonalbo, a small town 100km inland of Lismore in northern NSW. Her transition from high school student to apprentice electrician started when she came to Sydney last year on work experience. I actually loved it,... Loretta says. And it was way better than school. Id always wanted to be in a trade somewhere. Although she was only in Year 10, she was keen to leave school so when Roland offered her an apprenticeship, Loretta got special approval to finish early. Now shes working and doing her electrical apprenticeship at St George TAFE. Loretta says shes had no problems working with the boys, although shes not as physically strong. Thats something shes working on. She plays Rugby Union for the Rockdale Rangers. She plays winger. She can run fast. Even today, the solar industry in Australia, like all trades, is highly male-dominated so Inner West Community Energy would like to mark International Womens Day by welcoming Loretta to our network of preferred installers. We wish her well in her new career and we look forward to profiling her solar work here in the years to come. Shes pretty happy to be doing this. It makes me proud that Im one of the few girls, she says. Pictured (L-R): Blake Newport, Loretta Hill, Brett Bidwell, at work installing a new solar PV system in Summer Hill. Gavin Gilchrist Project Manager PS Dont forget our next Solar Information Night will be on Tuesday, March 31, at Gasoline Pony, Marrickville, starting at 7pm. Bookings here or through Eventbrite.

22.01.2022 Queensland Senator Matt Canavan may be one of the loudest cheerleaders for coal in the Federal Parliament but in this case we have him to thank for motivating our latest Inner West solar client to install a large solar PV system on his house in Haberfield. Long-time Haberfield resident Thomas Carroll says Senator Canavans hostility to renewables was one of three reasons he and his wife Bernadette (pictured) decided in February it was well and truly time to go solar. There ...Continue reading

22.01.2022 Hey, look who we bumped into this afternoon in Annandale! James and Alex, co-owners of the iconic sustainability-focussed Inner West cafe and food group, Cornersmith. James and Alex have been big supporters of Inner West Community Energy over the past two years, attending our fundraisers and promoting our work.... They were at the Annandale cafe today getting ready to reopen with new service options due to the pandemic: take away coffees and food. This is a tough time for Inner West cafes, so wed like to wish Cornersmith all the best for tomorrow and beyond. Support them, and your local cafe! Places like Cornersmith make the Inner West such a great place to live. - Gavin Gilchrist

19.01.2022 Heading south over the Cooks River and out of the Inner West, you never quite know what youre going to come across. In this case, it was pretty much a Garden of Eden. In Bexley North, of all places. We were visiting the home of new solar PV owners Michael and Suzanne Thompson, and their children Audrey and Gus. The Thompsons have lived here for three years, and in that time theyve worked hard - as you can see - to create a superb, sustainability-focussed garden on their q...uarter-acre block of land, with chooks, native bees, and a beautiful stand of native trees. Throughout this time, they tried hard to keep their two-storey house cool without air conditioning. Weve done insulation, fans, awnings, all those sorts of things, Michael told us, but last summer we just decided we couldnt take it any more so we put air con in, and it was like, if were going to do this, we absolutely have to do solar. And there is the broader obligation that if you are in a position to do something like this, neither state nor federal government is acting in terms of Australia leading in carbon reduction, so theyve pushed it back on to us as individuals, so if you in a position to make a small difference, I think youre obliged to. Michael, a NSW public servant, had been following us on social media, and he knew one of our previous clients, Sandra Kingston of Marrickville, profiled here in December 2018. So he messaged us via Facebook asking for advice. Looking back, he appreciates Inner West Community Energy making the process easy. It took all that drama from getting three quotes from randoms in the local rag, or wherever an ad pops up, and having no clue as to whether youre getting good components or trustworthy installers, he says. So it was really about having observed the projects youd done, and the diversity of sites and people whod chosen you, your community engagement efforts, and then just determining it was going to be a safe and reliable method for us to get solar installed. Both Michael and his wife Suzanne, a Commonwealth public servant, are still working from home, but now their home offices are being run by a 20-panel, 6.5kw PV system using Canadian Solar panels, an SMA inverter, and with Solar Analytics monitoring. Solar Information Nights are back! If youd like to go solar but would like our help, we have two solar information nights coming up on Tuesday, July 28 at Gasoline Pony, Marrickville. Bookings on Eventbrite. Gavin Gilchrist IWCE Project Manager

18.01.2022 Thinking about getting solar on at your place? Then dont miss out on our next solar information evening where you can get all your solar questions answered and get all the help you need to get solar happening on your home or business. Well be back at Marrickvilles delightful venue, Gasoline Pony for two sessions on Tuesday 28th July. At this stage audience sizes are limited so we are doing one session at 6pm and one at 7.30PM. Our project manager, Gavin Gilchrist will be there along with committee members and one of our preferred installers, Roland Lawrence. Join the 79 households weve already helped to go solar in Sydneys Inner West, you wont regret it! https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/inner-west-community-energy

18.01.2022 Just 26 days ago tonight, Tom Browell of Annandale attended our Solar Information Night at the Leichhardt Bowling Club. Today his 6.65kw solar PV system was installed and is now up and running, with its 19 350-watt Q Cells panels running through a Solar Edge SE5000H inverter, thanks to Paul Hutt of Brightside Solar and Electrical, one of our preferred installers (that’s him on the roof). Tom really wanted his system installed before the full onslaught of summer and, with suc...h a big system, it’s easy to see why. Next month those 19 panels will be generating about 36 kilowatt-hours a day, twice as much as his family used last December. If you live in the Inner West and would like to hear how your local community energy group can help you go solar, our next Solar Information Night is next Monday night at the Merton Hotel on Victoria Rd, Rozelle, starting at 7pm. It’s a free event but bookings are essential, via Eventbrite. Here’s the link: www.eventbrite.com/e/solar-information-night-tickets-128097 Gavin Gilchrist Project Manager

17.01.2022 We first met Inner West financial services analyst Michael Young in July last year when he attended our Solar Information Night at the Rose of Australia pub in Erskineville. Hed then seemed dead keen to go solar, asking lots of questions. After the event, we did our usual follow-up but didnt hear back. What we didnt know was that Michael and his partner Anthony Blair didnt actually have a house to put solar on when they came to our info night. They were doing their sola...r research before buying their first house together. Solar was such a priority that they wanted to do all their research before moving in. They bought a place in Probert St, Newtown, nine months ago so in March this year, just as we all went into national Covid lockdown, Michael was back in touch to say they were ready to install solar. The system was installed at the end of April. Today, theyre both still working from home, with 14 Canadian Solar panels on the roof with a maximum output of 4.62kw feeding power through an SMA inverter. Michael says there were three reasons they wanted to go solar: The first is, for environmental reasons, just in terms of climate change, doing our part for reducing our reliance on coal fired electricity, he says. The second reason is for economic reasons. It will pay itself off. The third reason is it will add value to the place. Having solar will definitely enhance its marketability. Anyone buying the place, if they can see its already got solar installed, they know its going to have an immediate payback from all the electricity they can use, and they dont have to pay the upfront cost. It would be a definite plus for someone buying the place. Michael came to our Information Night last winter because, even though they hadnt bought a house, they knew installing solar would be a top priority when they did. It was because when we started our research, there were so many options available and so many providers that we were a little bit confused about what we should do, Michael says. So we just wanted some guidance from a third party that wasnt necessarily a seller of solar, so we could get some impartial advice about what to do. The whole process from talking to you, to the organisation, getting Roland [Lawrence, one of our preferred installers], getting all the options available, and having it installed, was seamless. *** Great news! Our Solar Information Nights are back! Were again doing solar information nights. Were holding two sessions on Tuesday, July 28 at Gasoline Pony, Marrickville at 6pm and 730pm. Theyre free talks where you can hear how Inner West Community Energy can help you install solar, and you can ask as many questions as we can fit it. Bookings via Eventbrite. - Gavin Gilchrist - Project Manager, IWCE Pictured: Michael Young (L) and Anthony Blair.

15.01.2022 Eve and Maree have been living in Balmain East for 22 years but last month it was time to go solar. Getting solar PV on the roof through Inner West Community Energy was just one part of a sustainability-driven renovation thats underway in their house, which was built in 1984 using an unusual concrete tilt-up construction. While the structure is in great condition, Eve and Maree want to update the interiors and reduce its environmental footprint. The glazing is technology ...from 40 years ago. Eve told us. By updating the glazing we will minimise heat transfer and improve the air flow through the house. This, along with capturing as much natural light as possible, will reduce our power needs. Eve came to our first Solar Information Night this year at Petersham Bowling Club in February, back in the day when such events were possible. The information night gave me the opportunity to ask all my questions, Eve says, and it gave me an understanding of other things that people were thinking about, which was really helpful. Just one month and two days after that night, Eve and Marees system was fully installed; twenty Q Cells panels with a maximum output of 6.6 kilowatts driving a Fronius inverter. So the sustainability-makeover for their home is underway. The solar PV is up and running, an updated skylight featuring high-performance glazing has been installed, delivering light - without the previous heat - into the middle of the house. Sadly, the rest of the renovation is going to have to wait until the pandemic is over. Eve thinks this is a good time to reflect what else can be done to minimise our footprint. Thats the story for Inner West Community Energys usual Solar Information Nights, too; well have to wait till the pandemics over. So, if youre interested in going solar - and installing solar is probably the best investment opportunity going for homeowners right now - contact us directly and well give you very special one-on-one attention. Or, if you can get a bunch of friends together, well put on a Zoom webinar for you. Bring your own drinks. Pictured: Eve (left) and Maree.

15.01.2022 Freelance audio journalist and producer Sharon Davis made a serious start on getting quotes for solar PV a couple of years ago - but the process was so daunting even she gave up. I actually put out some feelers about solar power to particular people, to installers, and I got inundated with emails, Sharon told us. And I couldnt make sense of a lot of what they were saying, and I didnt know who to trust. With some regret, Sharon gave up until, mid last year, she saw an a...d for one of Inner West Community Energys Solar Information Nights, at Gasoline Pony, Marrickville. Sharon, a distinguished former ABC radio journalist of 30 years service, and her partner Geoff Parish, a former radio and TV journalist with both the ABC and SBS, came along, listened to the presentations and - like the good journalists they are! - asked lots of questions. Your input, your groups input,was absolutely incredible, Geoff says. It made us scoot right through the process. Without that we might still be trying to figure out who to go with. Theres no two ways about that. Inner West Community Energy reviewed Sharon and Geoffs needs and their budget, then put them in touch with one of our preferred solar installers, Paul Hutt of Brightside Solar and Electrical. As you can see, their roof - in Cavendish St, Stanmore - was not an easy one for solar, like so many in the Inner West, but theyve now got a 5.89 kilowatt system, comprising 19 QCells panels and a Solar Edge inverter. The system was completed on November 8 but despite doing everything required by his power company, DC Power, the meter has still not been configured to allow him to earn the correct solar feed-in tariff. Hes expecting another meter company to visit next Tuesday to fix it. Heres hoping. Fortunately, Sharon and Geoff know how much solar power theyve generated so they know how much DC Power owes them since November 8 from power thats been fed into the grid. And why did they want to go solar? The usual reasons, really. They had to wait till they could afford it, and when they could, rising electricity prices were a major reason, as well as the ability to do something positive for the climate. We really felt we should pitch in on the environmental front, to get away from the big coal burners, Geoff says. If you live in the Inner West and want to attend our next solar information night, well be holding one in late March. Message us here and well let you know when the venue and date has been finalised. Well be posting the details here and on Eventbrite next week. Gavin Gilchrist Project Manager

15.01.2022 We’re an Inner West community group here to make the switch to rooftop solar easy! Inner West residents interested in going solar but who don’t know where to start are invited to attend Inner West Community Energy’s next Solar Information Night, on Monday, November 23, starting at 7pm and finishing around an hour later. For the first time, we’ll be at the Merton Hotel at 38 Victoria Rd, Rozelle. Join us in the beer garden out the back any time after 6.30pm for the 7pm start. ... Grab a drink and settle in to hear our team explain how we can guide you on your journey to quality solar. You’ll get to meet us and to ask one of our trusted solar installers as many questions as you like within reason! It’ll be a friendly, informal event. It’s free but bookings are essential, via Eventbrite.

14.01.2022 Lets get going!!

14.01.2022 Our amazing 90-panel, 36kw solar array is now pumping renewable energy into the Inner West! It was finished yesterday by our awesome solar installers Roland Lawrence Electrical and its now on-line, feeding power into the Acre Eatery restaurant. A quick thanks to all those who came to our fund-raisers last year and in 2018. Your support made this happen. A more fulsome thank-you will come at the official launch next month. ... For now, were so thrilled its up and running. Please spread the word about IWCE. If youd like help going solar, were here to help. Your system doesnt need to be this big! Gavin Gilchrist Project Manager.

13.01.2022 Balmain resident Fiona* of Arthur St had been thinking about going solar for about two-and-a-half years. I didnt know where to start, she told us. I didnt know what was involved, and I guess I needed a push. That push came when she heard us speak at a Climate Change Balmain-Rozelle meeting last October. I wouldnt have known to approach an electrician, Fiona says. I thought there were just independent solar businesses. I didnt know anything about it. Fiona, whos ...a software developer, gave us her details. We ran our standard process of customer data gathering, then put her in touch with one of our preferred solar installers, Roland Lawrence Electrical. Today, her home is powered by 15 Canadian Solar panels with a peak capacity of 4.875 kilowatts, running through Enphase microinverters. She and her family are going to be producing way more than they use. And as you can see from the photo, shes not the only one in Arthur St with solar on the roof. What a great little solar strip! Of Inner West Community Energy, Fiona says: Its a fantastic, free service. Its amazing, and it puts customers together with providers. When she started thinking about going solar, Fiona wanted to be a good member of society, to do my bit. Its not just about saving money. I have really low electricity bills. It is to contribute. Today, she says shes even more thrilled than she thought she would be. I get so much satisfaction out of the app, she says. Ive changed the way I use energy. I would normally put the dishwasher and washing machine on at night and maybe at the same time. Now, I put them on during the day and never at the same time. And I can actually see how much power theyre using, and how much of my own power Im using. Hour by hour. Thats amazing. Usually, homeowners who want to hear how Inner West Community Energy can help them go solar come to our regular Solar Information Nights. However, due to the COVID-19 epidemic, were not doing Information Nights for a little while. Instead, on Tuesday week, March 31, were doing a teleconference with Zoom. So register on Eventbrite, and well send you a link on the night before, March 30, so you can log in to the teleconference just before 7pm on Tuesday night. Maybe see you on-line! And please, spread the word about this. Gavin Gilchrist Project Manager * Not her real name. This client wishes to remain anonymous.

12.01.2022 When Alex Blyth and Megs Hermann first moved into Enfield St, Marrickville, seven years ago, they were super keen on installing solar PV but the solar installers who came round to quote advised them not to bother. Alex and Megs were told that because they both worked full-time and so were away all day, solar didnt make financial sense because their power use was mostly at night. Alex and Megs actually werent so concerned about the financial side of the deal; theyve alway...Continue reading

12.01.2022 GET SOLAR, NO ROOFTOP REQUIRED! If you rent, live in an apartment or have an unsuitable roof for solar, you can still unlock the benefits of solar by investing in the Haystacks Solar Gardens project. Australia’s first large-scale Solar Garden, will allow hundreds of people locked out of rooftop solar to access to the benefits of solar. Find out all about it at our next solar information night at Leichhardt Bowling Club, this Thursday 22nd October, 7PM.... Guest speaker, Kristy Walters will join us to explain everything you need to know about Solar gardens and how you can join the solar revolution. Eventbrite link to RSVP is :https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/solar-information-night-tic

10.01.2022 At the start of the Covid national lockdown in March, we weren’t sure how the rooftop solar installation business would be hit. Solar installers kept working but consumer confidence took a big hit. That was indeed the case with this installation, facilitated for Brad Shields and family at his terrace house in Wigram Rd, Glebe.... Brad attended our Solar Information Night in February. He was all set to proceed when the Covid lockdown hit. Uncertainty in his business caused him to defer the job... but by mid-April he was confident enough to proceed. In May, his system was completed and today he’s working from home under a 16-panel, 5.2 kilowatt system that’s partly on the rear of his terrace house and partly on his garage. Asked how IWCE had helped, Brad gave us four ways: Clarity on the process. Learned about micro-inverters to solve my roof angle issue. There were lots of others doing the same thing. A few people had been burned by shonky installers and I felt confident in the 2 installers that presented [at the information night]. And asked whether he was happy with his IWCE-preferred solar installer, Roland Lawrence Electrical, Brad just said: 100%. Our next Solar Information Night will be on Thursday, October 22 at 7pm at Leichhardt Bowling Club. And here’s an unusual bonus! The club has a two-for-one meal deal that night so if you’d like to dine before the event, let the club know so they can cater for the crowd. Bookings for the info night via Eventbrite.

10.01.2022 Hands up all those who want rooftop solar in the Inner West! It was a full house in the Green Room at Petersham Bowling Club last night for another Solar Information NIght - our second in two weeks - where we spoke about the benefits of going solar and how Inner West Community Energy can help. Another 21 households put their hands up as being keen to have solar installed through our group.... Weve had unprecedented interest this year from Inner Westies keen to install solar, and well be keeping that momentum going in coming months. Therell be another Solar Information Night next month, and well post about that shortly when weve finalised the venue. If youd like us to organise one near you, message us here or text me. Thanks to Carl on the bar at Petersham Bowlo, events manager Lulu, and the kitchen staff for delivering excellent pizza. Gavin Gilchrist Project Manager IWCE 0407 663 125

10.01.2022 If you're free tomorrow evening, join us in Jubilee Park. We are taking a photo for our website and we'd love any of our members and supporters to be part of it. We'll be meeting by the big fig trees at the end of Glebe Pt Rd. Come and say hi and be part of the fun. Hope to see you there!

10.01.2022 We loved his "War on Waste" series, now here comes Inner Westie Craig Reucassels next shot at informing and entertaining us on environmental matters, Fight For Planet A. Next Tuesday night on ABC TV. Well be watching! https://youtu.be/t4MHiNnTUvs

10.01.2022 Fifty-eight years ago, in 1962, American marine biologist and conservationist Rachel Carson published her landmark book on the environment, Silent Spring. It was a book that transformed global understanding of humanitys impact on the natural world, a book that transformed the environment movement. A few years after it was published, Stephen Carroll brought the book home for his mother Anne, and, as Anne, now aged 92, tells it today, from that time on, her whole family became... environmentally aware. Weve always been interested in the environment. The whole lot of us, Anne says of herself, her three sons and daughter. So when, last month, her son Thomas in Haberfield had his solar PV system installed, Anne decided shed follow suit. And even though Sefton (near Bankstown) is just a little outside our Inner West territory, if someone calls wanting a hand going solar, were here to help. Annes son Stephen, pictured, lives with Anne in the house shes lived in since 1951. Now theyve got a 6.5 kilowatt solar PV system on the roof, which is going to export a lot of power, given their own use is pretty modest. Today, the Carrolls are contributing to a cleaner energy future in a way that, no doubt, would have delighted Rachel Carson: Anne and Stephen have their new PV system in Sefton, Thomas has his 8.5kw system in Haberfield, and their daughter has a solar-powered house in Crookwell, near Goulburn. Despite the social distancing requirements of the Covid-19 pandemic, our preferred solar installers are working as normal. They can still visit houses to quote jobs and install PV systems without any breach of social distancing. They do not need to enter your home. So its still a great time to go solar! Indeed, if youre working from home, it makes even more sense than ever. Inner West Community Energy is here to help. Message us here or text our project manager Gavin Gilchrist on 0407 663 125. Pictured on the roof: (L-R) Juan Orozco, Gerrard Haami and Blake Newport of Roland Lawrence Electrical, one of our preferred solar installers.

09.01.2022 You know we love featuring the dogs and cats of our new solar families, but today we’re featuring a special Inner West resident: a baby Brush Tail possum. It was captured by one of our preferred solar installers, Brett Bidwell, while installing solar PV in Drummoyne last month. The possum in the pic was a juvenile Brush Tail Possum, Brett told us. It was with its mother.... The nest was right where one of the cables was being run. The mother took off and was seen by my colleague Loretta heading up a tree in the backyard, I took the juvenile to the same tree and released it. Thanks for being so brave, Brett! This was our first solar installation in Drummoyne, for former deputy state Coroner Hugh Dillon and his wife Anne. Hugh has in his career had to deal with incredibly complex matters - the inquest into the 2007 ferry disaster on Sydney Harbour, the 2013 bushfires that ravaged Warrumbungles National Park, and an explosion at a winery, to name but three - but when it came to getting a solar PV system, he and Anne needed help. Enter Inner West Community Energy! Hugh and Anne had been thinking about solar for years but never managed to feel comfortable about the process. So we helped them establish what sort of system would suit them best, introduced them to one of our preferred solar installers, and then helped them get a solar-compatible meter. Unusually, after Hugh and Anne had decided on the approximate size of the system, and we’d endorsed the resulting quote, they then decided they wanted to spend a bit more on a bigger system. Hugh, who works part-time at the University of NSW in coronial law, is now working from home under a 5.475 kilowatt system comprising 14 Canadian Solar panels and 14 Enphase IQ+ microinverters. That's Hugh in the photo with his dog Cleo. Microinverters are specified when there’s a lot of shading that affects some panels but not all of them, or when the panels are facing different directions, or both, as with this installation. It was great to have you guys as a trustworthy broker who could guide us through the system, Hugh says. Because we were ignorant about this stuff. Anne added: The thought of navigating the techno-babble and having to assess whether the installer was competent and the quote reasonable seemed all too difficult. Having a not-for-profit community organisation to guide us through made it painless. We had concerns that the panels would be an eyesore. Happily, they look OK and can barely be seen. Our next Solar Information Night! If you live in the Inner West and would like help going solar, get in touch through our website. Or come along to our next Solar Information Night on Tuesday, November 24. Venue? We’re not sure yet, but let us know if you’re interested and we’ll let you know when we finalise the venue. It’ll be somewhere in the Inner West, of course. Gavin Gilchrist Project Manager

09.01.2022 Glebe resident Brad Shields started his journey to rooftop solar at one of Inner West Community Energy’s Solar Information Nights at Petersham Bowling Club. Now he’s working from home with solar powering his day, happy as Larry. Your journey to rooftop solar can start this Thursday, 7pm at Leichhardt Bowling Club, when we hold our next info night.... Brad attended our Solar Information Night in February. He was all set to proceed when the Covid lockdown hit. Uncertainty in his business caused him to defer the job... but by mid-April he was confident enough to proceed. In May, his system was completed and today he has a 16-panel, 5.2 kilowatt system that’s partly on the rear of his terrace house and partly on his garage. Asked how IWCE had helped, Brad gave us four ways: Clarity on the process. Learned about micro-inverters to solve my roof angle issue. There were lots of others doing the same thing. A few people had been burned by shonky installers and I felt confident in the 2 installers that presented [at the information night]. If you want to attend this Thursday night, bookings are via Eventbrite. We’ll have a guest speaker telling us about the Haystacks solar project, too. And here’s a bonus! The club has a two-for-one meal deal that night so if you’d like to dine before the event, let the club know so they can cater for the crowd. Gavin Gilchrist Project Manager

09.01.2022 Look whats happening on the bigger stage of community-owned solar power. Good on you Pingala!

09.01.2022 Last month we undertook our most ambitious solar and battery project yet. Heres how it came together.

09.01.2022 Construction and commissioning of our massive solar PV system on the roof of Acre Eatery at Camperdown Commons finishes today, Monday, just five working days after it began. As construction continued last Friday, the Mayor of Inner West Council, Darcy Byrne, climbed on to the roof to have a look. Pictured here, L-R, is Brett Bidwell of Roland Lawrence Electrical, our solar installers; Councillor Anna York; our chairperson Kathy Bluff; the executive chef of Acre, Gareth Howa...rd; and Councillor Byrne. All 90 panels are up and almost running, giving us a total generation capacity of 36 kilowatts. Thats about seven times the size of a typical new Inner West solar PV system today, and one of the biggest arrays in our community. Inner West Community Energy will own the system, and Acre Eatery will pay us for the renewable energy generated, which will provide our group with a bit of income to do more great work! And remember: if you want to install solar at home, were here to help with advice on systems, pricing, metering and how to deal with power companies. Help us spread the word. Summers coming, so its a great time to go solar. Gavin Gilchrist Project Manager

08.01.2022 Thanks to the 15 Inner West households who put their hands up last night as wanting to install rooftop solar. That was the outcome of our latest Solar Information Night, held for the first time at Leichhardt Bowling Club. We’ve already fired off emails to get the ball rolling our end, and within the next few weeks our preferred solar installers will be on site, discussing the options, measuring up and providing a quote. ... Thanks also to Kristy Walters of Haystacks Solar Garden for giving a talk on how people who don’t own a house can still benefit from solar by buying part of a solar farm proposed to be built at Grong Grong in the Riverine. Now, that’s a really innovative project. For more details, go to haystacks.solargarden.org.au. And thanks to Leichhardt Bowlo manager Baz Compton for making us all so welcome. We’ll be back! Even if just for the two-for-one Thursday meal deal. Live in the Inner West and want to go solar? If you’d like to go solar and would like support from a community group that’s now done 88 houses across the Inner West, check out our video "7 Steps to Solar" here, then if that’s the kind of help you need, get in touch. - Gavin Gilchrist - Project Manager

08.01.2022 We held not one but two solar information sessions last night at one of our favourite Inner West venues, Gasoline Pony in Marrickville. The place has been smartly refreshed and refurbished since we were there last year. Proprietor Fiona and her crew clearly used their time in lockdown very wisely! Both our events were limited in numbers to comply with social distancing, but it was - as always - heartening to have two groups of locals turn up eager to find out about installin...g solar at home, and how Inner West Community Energy can help. Thanks to all those who attended; we really enjoy running these sessions, despite the limits placed on such events. Weve now got quite a few households to follow up over the next few days, to get the ball rolling with installing rooftop solar. If they go ahead, theyll have a brand new system in place ready for summer. If you wanted to come last night but couldnt, message us here or use the Contact Us button on our website, www.innerwestcommunityenergy.org.au. Were here to help. Thanks very much to Roland Lawrence of Roland Lawrence Electrical, one of our preferred solar installers, for answering every question posed without hesitation. Thank you too to Fiona of Gasoline Pony, and barman Tom (pictured), for making us so welcome. The vegan toasties were delicious. Well be back! Local bars like Gasoline Pony need all the support we can offer at the moment; Fionas taking Covid regulations seriously so I was extremely comfortable being there. Its a great, relaxed place to spend a few hours with a small group of friends. Gavin Gilchrist IWCE Project Manager

07.01.2022 A huge milestone in the history of our group was celebrated this week with the signing of the contract for our large solar PV system to go on the roof of the Acre Eatery at Camperdown Commons. This will be a 90-panel system owned and operated by Inner West Community Energy that will supply renewable energy to the Acre Eatery through our first Power Purchase Agreement. The income produced will be put back into running the group. Pictured is our chairperson Kathy Bluff handing... over the signed contract to our chosen installer, Roland Lawrence of Roland Lawrence Electrical. (Thats also Roland on the Acre roof measuring up for the job last year.) This project, one of the first of its type in Australia, has taken us a fair while to get this far. The first fundraiser was held in October, 2018, and a second was held at Acre Eatery last year, too. But now we have planning consent so its all systems go! The launch event for the project is scheduled for Sunday, September 20th so the Inner West Community Energy event supremos are beginning to get very busy. We just hope the pandemic doesnt get in the way. This is a huge deal for us and a landmark project for renewables in the Inner West, so well be posting regular updates in coming weeks. Gavin Gilchrist IWCE Project Manager

07.01.2022 Suburban Canberra is quite some distance from the Inner West, I accept, but when your sister calls from the national capital and asks for help installing solar PV, you can hardly say no. So thats why the 79th solar system installed through Inner West Community Energy is in Macquarie, ACT. My sister Del Da Costa, whos semi-retired and Secretary of the Friends of the National Arboretum, and her husband Gary, an Emeritus Professor of Astronomy at the ANU, had been thinking ab...Continue reading

07.01.2022 Heres a story about something thats never happened before with Inner West Community Energy. Spurred on by the catastrophic summer of bushfires and smoke, Summer Hill high school music teacher Carlos Munoz and his wife Jennifer, a lawyer, decided in February they must install solar. Think global, act local. ...Continue reading

04.01.2022 If youd like to invest in solar but youre a renter or are unable to get solar on at your place check out the solar gardens option with Haystacks information events: https://facebook.com/events/s/haystacks-solar-garden-info-se/317951096111068/?ti=as

03.01.2022 Anyone in the Inner West who’s been involved in climate campaigns will have met, or at least heard of, Jenny Curtis. Around these parts, she’s a legend for her climate work. Fired up with concern about the impact of climate change, 15 years ago Jenny and five other mothers from Rozelle Public School set up Climate Change Balmain-Rozelle, which to this day is one of the most successful local climate groups in Australia. She went on to run State- and national climate campaigns.... She’s always bought 100% renewable energy but finally, last month, she could finally afford to do what she’s always wanted: install rooftop solar. We were planning on visiting Europe to visit family, Jenny told us. And because of Covid we couldn’t do that, so it meant that we had our airfares that we could use to pay for solar panels. And we’re more than a little bit excited about it. Because it’s taken us 15 years. It means that we can actually be doing something, that we’re part of the solution not the problem. When Jenny and her husband Rafael realised they now had the money for rooftop solar, they asked their old friends at CCBR for ideas on where to start. CCBR referred them to us, and we facilitated the project. Now their Lilyfield house is pumping 100% renewable energy into the Inner West grid from 18 Canadian Solar panels and an SMA inverter, with Solar Analytics monitoring to keep an eye on its performance. Rafael says for him, the decision was purely environmental. It was not about the money whatsoever, he says. I used to travel a lot for work. And I’m from Germany. So I used to travel a lot around Germany, and there’s solar and wind everywhere. And it was a long, long dream of Jenny’s, through her activism. And I’m just so happy that we have finally done it, and that I’m part of it, because everyone I know in Germany has done it. You travel through Germany on the train and it’s just solar, solar solar. You don’t see a farmhouse that doesn't have a barn full of solar cells. If you’d like to find out how Inner West Community Energy can help you install solar, our next Solar Information Night is next Monday, November 23, at 7pm at the Merton Hotel, Rozelle. It’s a free event but numbers are limited so book through Eventbrite. Pictured: Rafael and Jenny with their daughter Hazel. - Gavin Gilchrist - IWCE Project Manager

02.01.2022 This magnificent picture of Annandale must be one the best solar photos weve ever posted! Showing Johnston St and the Hunter Baillie church in the middle of the picture, it was taken to feature Jemima Garrett and Rob Garnseys new solar PV system. You can see their 20-panel system at the bottom of the picture in the middle. Thanks to Inner West Community Energys preferred solar installer Paul Hutt of Brightside Solar and Electrical for taking the photo. Fortunately, he man...aged to avoid planes on the third runway flight path! This system was the result of a desire by Jemima and Rob for at least 10 years to get solar on the roof. It wasnt until mid-February that it finally happened. The problem was that we needed to make some renovations before we could go solar, Rob says. The whole back section of their house, where the solar would go, had to be rebuilt first. So when the work finished late last year they approached Inner West Community Energy for advice on an optimal system for their four-person household. Rob, a retired IT manager, had done a lot of research and was convinced he wanted a system with microinverters to maximise generation, despite their higher initial cost. As well, they wanted a big system. We had 100% Greenpower, Jemima says, but I was desperate not to be aiding and abetting coal companies in any way so I was very happy that we are now able to be self-sufficient and someone else can use our Greenpower, and also that we will be putting electricity back into the grid, so were helping other people to not take their power from coal. The final design was for a 6.6 kilowatt system comprising 20 QCells Q.Peak Duo panels and 20 Enphase IQ7 Plus microinverters. Itll generate more than enough for their household of Jemima and Rob plus daughter Kate, 28, and son Hugh, 26. Jemima, for many years the ABCs Pacific correspondent, says its great to have solar on the roof at last. Its really comforting to know the panels are up there - and this may be a bit idiosyncratic - but another advantage is the panels cover a lot of our roof at the back so theyre probably adding to the insulation quality because theyre shading the roof in all its hottest parts. If youre thinking about going solar, Jemima has some simple advice. Id say go for it. Itll make you feel much better about your power use. Itll save you some money. And so far its completely hassle-free. If youre considering installing solar in the Inner West, our next Solar Information webinar will be on Tuesday May 5 at 8pm via Zoom. Bookings here on Facebook or via Eventbrite. (Pictured, left to right: Hugh, Jemima, Rob and Kate.) - Gavin Gilchrist IWCE project manager