Lee Rhiannon (NSW, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate—

(a) notes that:

(i) a group of western New South Wales councils, accounting for two thirds of the state's area, are working together on a solar initiative, known as the Solar Energy eXchange Initiative (the Initiative), that if adopted would result in each local government area installing about half a megawatt of photo voltaic panels at various sites in their locality,

(ii) the Initiative involves a number of distinct projects involving different combinations of solar and storage technologies to help assess what would most effectively meet the energy needs of western New South Wales,

(iii) some of the plants would be large enough to meet the electricity demand of a typical country town of 2 000 to 5 000 people, and

(iv) the number of councils supporting the Initiative has been steadily growing with 24 councils and shires now signed onto the Initiative; and

(b) urges all levels of government to acquaint themselves with the Initiative and consider how they can support this project.

Question agreed to.