Category: MASH+ News

2011 was a boom year for the number of solar panel installations on homes in Mount Alexander Shire, as can be seen from the chart below. Of course, back then the feed-in tariff was 60c/kWh which was highly attractive – much better than the 8c/kWh you get now. 

Through the MASH⁺ solar panels bulk-buy offer, the Hub Foundation (the not-for-profit behind MASH⁺) is hoping to reverse the slowdown in rooftop installation in Mount Alexander Shire.

Neil Barrett of The Hub Foundation says that now is a great time to ‘go solar’:

Electricity prices are only going in one direction – that’s up – and the cost of solar panels has gone right down. The net result is that, if you’re prepared to change some ways you use electricity, the  savings on your bills and return on investment are still very attractive.

Eva, Jinari & Theresa at Green Goes the Grocer on Templeton Street, Castlemaine, thinks ‘going solar’ is the way to go.  After all, solar energy helps to make our world a better, healthier place to be.  And that’s what it’s all about at Green Goes the Grocer too! Thanks for becoming a MASH⁺ partner and helping to spread the word.

Have you been interested in solar power but found it hard to get your questions answered? Most of us have had phone calls from sales people who haven’t had a clue about things like how many panels you need, how much you could realistically expect to save on your power bill and whether you should insist on components made in western countries.

Now with the Mount Alexander Solar Homes (MASH⁺) Info Meetings you can have your questions answered. The first meeting will be at the Civic Centre, Castlemaine (next to the Town Hall) starting at 5pm, followed by another session at 6.45pm. The following Wednesday, 16th July, there will be meetings at Campbells Creek Community Centre starting at 5pm and at the Maldon Neighbourhood Centre Hall at 7pm.

Mayor Michael Redden will open the Castlemaine Info Meetings. Other speakers will include Geoff Lodge of Goulburn Valley Community Energy, Stephen Breheny, the installer for this project and Neil Barrett from the Hub Foundation.

According to Neil, “This is a great opportunity for interested people to find out whether the MASH⁺ solar panels offer is right for them. There will be informative, short speeches, leaving plenty of time for questions. We are delighted that Mount Alexander Shire is a major partner of MASH⁺ and thank the Council for the use of their Civic Centre for the first of the Info Meetings, as well as providing the light refreshments for all meetings.”

For further information please go to hubfoundation.org.au or contact MASH⁺ on 0455 589 065.

Go Solar. Go Lok, Rob and Alysha+! Thanks Theatre Royal for being a major partner of MASH⁺ and the great attitude! And BTW, Lok says that the Theatre Royal will be getting solar panels pretty soon. Yay!

The Hub Foundation is pleased to have Cantwell Property Castlemaine on board as one of its major partners for MASH⁺, Mount Alexander Solar Homes, the solar bulk-buy offer for households in Mt Alexander Shire and nearby areas.

Genevieve Cantwell says, “Many home buyers see solar panels as a real plus point when viewing potential properties. We are glad to support MASH⁺ because rooftop solar panels are a win-win for everyone.”

Neil Barrett, manager of The Hub Foundation says, “Cantwell Property Castlemaine is already a great advocate of solar with the 5Kw system on the roof of their office on Barker Street. We are delighted that they are helping to raise awareness of MASH⁺.”

Note: MASH⁺ partners contribute by publicising the project in their offices, shops, websites and newsletters. They do not make financial contributions.

Mount Alexander Shire Mayor, Cr Michael Redden, has launched a new solar power project, Mount Alexander Solar Homes, or MASH⁺.  MASH⁺ is a bulk-buy arrangement for local households in Mount Alexander Shire and nearby areas, using high quality solar panels and inverters, heavily discounted prices and as much local involvement as possible.

According to Cr Redden “We are supporting this initiative because we want to help all households in our Shire benefit from the financial benefits of going solar and as a Shire we want to help cut our CO2 emissions.  We are pleased to support another not-for-profit solar initiative in our Shire.  Climate change is a pressing concern for everyone and the more that we can do to address it, the better.”

The project has been organised by The Hub Foundation, a not-for-profit company which is associated with the Hub office and restaurant building in Castlemaine.

Hub Foundation manager, Neil Barrett, says he decided it was a great time to promote solar for five reasons.  “Prices for solar panels have come down enormously over the past few years, people want solar but don’t trust the many people calling them on the phone, the technology is well and truly proven, the government may take away the subsidy within a few months and, above all, the planet needs it.

“And there’s a sixth reason also”, says Barrett: “You can earn a higher rate of return on your money than you do from almost any other investment. That’s because the savings on your power bills are so high and the cost of the panels so low.

“The MASH+ project is very local. We’re working with the highly respected electrical contractor, Stephen Breheny.  Stephen and his staff have done over 400 solar installations in the Shire over the past six years and they’re widely respected.

“Currently 26% of the Shire’s houses have solar panels. We’re hoping to raise this to 36% which would put us up there amongst the nation’s leading solar regions.

On the 10^th and 16^th of July the Foundation will be holding information sessions in Castlemaine, Campbells Creek and Maldon, for interested people.

And the plus in MASH⁺? That’s there to tell you it’s not just about solar power. As part of the price, participants in the project also get an energy assessment and a voucher for an energy efficiency kit from a local supplier.

For more information, call Neil Barrett on 0455 589 065 or visit hubfoundation.org.au

Once a leader in renewable energy, Australia is now going against the tide. Claims that renewable energy is pushing up electricity prices are dishonest. As articles in last Saturday’s Age (14 June 2014) make clear the major cause of power price increases over the last few years has been the huge investment in transmission costs due to upgrading of poles and wires. Most industry observers call this ‘gold plating of the network’. Instead of taking more imaginative measures to control peak demand for a few days in summer, the industry has invested heavily to increase its reliability and capacity to provide uninterrupted power on those few days. This has come at a great cost to consumers. Renewable power has accounted for only 9% of the increase in electricity costs.

So why the war? The coal industry and the big generators have campaigned heavily for an end to renewable subsidies. Solar power, particularly, is hurting their business as solar’s peak output occurs in the afternoon when the profits for the generators are highest. Solar has cut peak demand for grid electricity in Australia. It has challenged the business models of those who are doing most damage to our environment.

What’s the likely outcome? In the end solar will win. Its price continues to fall as the technology develops and battery strorage is not far off. The more that the utilities raise their service fees and tariffs, the more people will leave the grid altogether. Eventually, perhaps within 4-5 years, the utilities will realise that it’s futile to oppose renewables; in the meantime however they will help set back Australia’s renewables progress.

Mount Alexander Shire has amongst the highest penetrations of solar power in Australia. Today 26% of our rooftops have solar panels on them, compared with only 10% in the whole of Australia. The bad news is that the peak was reached in 2011 when 764 solar systems were installed. That was the year local electricians quadrupled their workforces so that they could instal around 15 new systems per week. Since then, due to cutbacks in feed-in-tariffs, the industry has declined. In 2013, only 223 systems were installed.

Now, however, is a great time to go solar. The return on investment (ROI) is still very good at around 9%-16% (compared with the bank’s rate of around 3%) and the current review of the Renewable Energy Target is likely to result in an increase in solar system prices by up to 30% and a fall in the ROI.