Are Unplanned Power Outages Disrupting Your Life and Business?

A study, recently undertaken by the Macedon Ranges Sustainability Group (MRSG) has identified that the North Woodend, Newham and Lancefield areas are the most impacted by unplanned power outages in the Macedon Ranges region.

The MRSG feasibility study, funded by the Victorian State Governments Neighbourhood Battery Initiative has determined a business use case that supports the installation of a neighbourhood battery in or near Lancefield. ENEA Consulting were engaged to prepare a 44-page report that took an in-depth look at the potential sustainability, community, network and economic benefits of a neighbourhood battery.

ENEA found that one electricity feeder in the Macedon Ranges stood out as suffering from more unplanned electricity outages, lasting more often than average. These outages on the WND013 feeder, situated between Woodend and Lancefield have significantly higher outages in terms of total minutes which have had a major impact on homes and businesses in the region. Affecting approximately 2600 homes and businesses in the Newham, Cobaw and Lancefield district, it was identified that just under half of the unplanned outages lasted 4 hours or more.

“We found that residents in this area are most concerned with the reliability of their power supply and wanted renewal energy sources to be made more equitable within the community so that even those without solar can benefit from renewable energy”, said MRSG President, David Gormley O-Brien “This project shows that there is a clear case for using neighbourhood batteries on feeder lines experiencing a high number of power outages of short duration.”

How will a Neighbourhood Battery Help?

By working with Powercor to install a Neighbourhood Battery along this key electricity feeder, it is expected that the disruption to customers upstream of the battery can be reduced significantly. The battery itself will be capable of storing enough energy to ensure that most Lancefield customers will be able to maintain basic electricity usage for short periods of time, often within the time that it will take the authorities to restore services.

What Can I Do ?

MRSG is partnering with Powercor to gain community support for the installation of the 500kw battery along the WND013 feeder line to increase reliability of electricity supply to Lancefield customers. The battery is expected to cost around $500,000 and would be funded by the Victorian State Government in partnership with Powercor.

Who is the Macedon Ranges Sustainability Group?

The Macedon Ranges Sustainability Group is a not-for-profit, member-based organisation focussing on projects, events, and practical activities that promote sustainable living in our local communities. We are home to a number of community action groups made up of dedicated individuals working together to make the Macedon Ranges a more sustainable place to live.

To register your support and interest in updates on the project go to mrsg.org.au/nbi