Our journey
Our Council is constantly seeking new and innovative ways to reduce our carbon footprint and we are making great strides with renewable energy, including the launch of two council/community solar farms this year. This is a model that can be used widely, and we want to share our knowledge and partner with others to see great ideas become reality.
We have an organisational target to self-generate all our electricity from renewable sources by 2023, and to achieve this we need to build a large-scale solar power plant in our Local Government Area. We have no doubts that embracing renewable energy is one of the most important steps in tackling climate change.
What council has achieved in the past in energy efficiency, renewable energy or broader sustainability
LCC has been working on a range of innovative sustainability initiatives for a number of years including biodiversity management, state-of-the-art waste management and our biggest organisational goal – to self-generate all electricity from renewable resources by 2023.
Our 100% renewable electricity goal continues Councils past work in energy efficiency and solar installations which has reduced our consumption and resulted in substantial financial savings and GHG emissions reduction. Our flagship project is Lismore Community Solar, a unique council/community partnership, the first of its kind in Australia, which has funded two 100kW solar farms at Councils high use sites. The first 100kW solar farm is up and running at our Sports Centre, the second, which was launched in January 2018, is at our Sewerage Treatment plant.
What council hopes to achieve in the future in energy efficiency, renewable energy or broader sustainability
LCC’s future is guided by our Community’s vision of ‘Lismore as a Model of Sustainability’. We are well on the way to achieving our renewable energy goal and our future holds many more exciting and innovative actions including construction of the second of our unique Community funded solar farms, Australia’s largest floating solar farm at our sewerage treatment plant, as well as a large scale solar plant, LED streetlighting, and electric vehicle network across the region.
Why council joined the Cities Power Partnership
We joined the CPP program to be brought together with many other Councils who are leading in sustainability and also working towards a clean energy future. We are keen to share our successes and learn from others in a partnership which will ultimately encourage and inspire us all.