Lane Cove
Solar mapping tool
LED streetlighting
Lane Cove Councils’ strategy has been to lead by example and in turn help then empower our residents to consider their own actions to reduce emissions and become more resilient. To this end from July 2022 our operations are being powered by 100% renewable electricity, supporting jobs in solar farms in regional NSW. Council has been a proud member of Cities Power Partner since 2017 and it has provided a wonderful opportunity for Lane Cove to work collaboratively with councils from all over Australia to help drive the transition towards a low carbon future.
Council has chosen the following pledges
Provide incentives and/or remove barriers to encourage local businesses to take up solar power and battery storage.
Lane Cove’s free online service, the Solar Mapping Tool, help residents and businesses to estimate the potential for solar electricity generation on their roof. Furthermore, the Solar for Business program provides complimentary and independent solar feasibility studies to any local business.
Roll out energy efficient lighting across the municipality.
1,162 street lights across the Lane Cove area have now been upgraded to new LED lights. During the 2020/21 financial year Lane Cove saved 179,551 kilowatts of electricity, or enough electricity to power 9,405 homes. This equates to a 25% reduction in electricity compared with 2018/19. This saving is expected to grow to a 28% reduction by the end of the 2021/2022 FY.
Further electricity savings are expected in 2023 when Ausgrid upgrades main street lights to energy efficient LED lights.
Adopt best practice energy efficiency measures across all council buildings, and support community facilities to adopt these measures.
Council has maximised opportunities to install solar pv on Council buildings over the past five years. In addition to these measures we have upgraded HVAC and lighting systems where possible. Councils approach has been to lead by example and then in turn empower our residents to make changes in their own lives to live more sustainably.
Install renewable energy (solar PV and battery storage) on council buildings.
Council has been maximising opportunities to retrofit and install solar PV on new and existing buildings. With investments in solar energy and batteries two of Councils facilities are expected to be ‘off grid’ for approximately nine months of the year.
Support the local community to develop capacity and skills to tackle climate change.
Council provides access to regular and free webinars and events that champion action on climate change. These take the form of educational workshops and events on topics including reducing food waste, switching to greenpower and showcasing electric vehicles.
Lane Cove
What council has achieved in the past in energy efficiency, renewable energy or broader sustainability
Lane Cove Council identifies energy efficiency, sustainable transport and renewable energy alongside other sustainability targets in its 2016 – 2021 Sustainability Action Plan. Council’s Sustainability Levy has been used to fund projects to achieve these goals including:
– The Market Square Car Park LED and Smart Lighting Upgrade.
– Installation of solar panels on Council buildings and assets including the Aquatic Centre, Council’s highest energy consuming building.
– Sustainable Building Advisory Service, a free service for residents which provides sustainable building advice from a qualified architect or building designer. The service is offered to residents who are planning to build or renovate their home.
– Regular community information sessions and workshops on topics including energy efficiency and renewable energy at home.
What Council hopes to achieve in the future in energy efficiency, renewable energy or broader sustainability
Lane Cove declared a Climate Emergency in 2019 and subsequently set about measuring emissions and creating emission reduction targets for both Council, and the community. They are:
– A 20% reduction in emissions and no net water gain by 2024* and
– an 80% reduction in emissions and no net water gain by 2036*
*based on the 2016/17 baseline.
In the community, electricity is the largest contributor of the community’s emissions, averaging nearly 70%. Transport from both resident travel and workers is the second largest emissions source, averaging about 23%.
As a result, Council is focusing on these two areas as they have the potential for the biggest impact in reducing community emissions.
What council hopes to gain from being a member of the Cities Power Partnership
Council sees the value in being a member of a nationwide program where information sharing is paramount and leads to idea sharing to help Council achieve targets of decreased power and water use at all buildings and assets. Council is excited to choose its five key actions and discover how these can result in targets being achieved in its Sustainability Action Plan.