Hills sun centre

By Tania Martin
A MENZIES Creek man is calling for a community solar power centre to be set up in the Dandenong Ranges to help tackle global warming.
Peter Cook will holding two community meetings later this month on his concept for solar power, one in Upwey and one in Emerald, and is calling for support from local residents.
Mr Cook said his house has been using solar power since 1995 and in his experience has shown that solar power and hot water services work well in the hills.
His vision is to set up a community solar power centre in the Dandenong Ranges at a community centre.
Mr Cook said the project would be available to anyone who wants to do something practical about global warming.
He said not all private houses are suitable for solar panels because trees shade a lot of houses in the hills.
But Mr Cook believes he has a solution to this problem which will involve finding a community or council building where solar panels purchased by local residents could be placed on the roof.
Mr Cook said the power generated from the solar panels would then be transferred to a power grid and people involved in the project would be able to get a rebate from the power company.
He said the Shire of Yarra Ranges had already given him in principal approval to put the solar panel on one of its buildings.
Mr Cook said this was the only viable option because it would be too expensive to lease or buy land in the hills.
La Trobe MP Jason Wood is also jumping behind the project and has written a letter of support to the Minister for Environment, Malcolm Turnbull, supporting the concept.
Mr Wood said a solar powered community centre was a great idea and that a childcare centre in Beaconsfield had already voiced its support for the project.
He said there is also a push to change the current policy of solar power rebates.
“At the moment the policy rebate is only for individual households and we want to change that so collective groups can get the rebate,” Mr Wood said.
Yarra Ranges councillor Samantha Dunn said it was a fantastic concept.
Cr Dunn said the project was a great way for hills people to address issue of climate change and global warming at a local level.
Mr Cook said the community solar power centre was one way people could do something about global warming.
“There are a lot of people concerned about global warming who want to do more than just change their light globes and this is an opportunity for them to do just that,” he said.
Mr Cook originally got the idea for the community solar power centre from a television program.
“I saw a program on how communities in Germany were getting behind small community-based renewable power plants in a big way and thought why can’t we do it here,” he said.
Anyone interested in finding out more about how to get involved in the solar power project can attend one of the public meetings on Thursday, 23 August at the Upwey CFA hall or on Wednesday, 29 August, at the Emerald Community House hall.