When was your group formed and why?
Community Power Agency is a not for profit workers cooperative. We formed in 2011 (originally as a partnership) to support and advocate for community energy projects. We now also provide capacity building services for communities and councils in regions where renewable energy projects are going ahead, along with continued policy and advocacy work.
Image: Solar garden participants (left) and Kim Mallee (right), CPA Director, at the Haystacks Solar Garden Launch Event, Grong Grong NSW, 27th April 2024.
How many members do you currently have? What are the key skillsets and areas of experience across your group?
We have 10 members, 7 of which are working members, including 3 of 5 directors. We live and work in our communities from north of Cairns in QLD to Tasmania. Our work also takes us to other Australian states and even occasionally overseas.
Our team’s training and experience spans environmental engineering to law and community development. We each bring unique knowledge and skills, and continue to learn from each other as we implement a collaborative and egalitarian approach to working and caring for our organisation.
How are you predominantly involved with NCC?
We are collaborating with NCC in the Nature and Renewables space, helping to build a policy platform that will influence better outcomes for nature in the regions as we shift from fossil fuel to renewable energy.
What projects are you focusing on currently?
In the nature and renewables space, we are researching and organising for better outcomes for conservation and agriculture on solar farms and transmission route easements.
We are also working to address the cumulative impacts and opportunities generated by renewable energy developments, such as by promoting local workforce development in Renewable Energy Zones (REZs), and enabling a more coordinated, strategic approach to benefit sharing at regional scales, to fund longer-term legacy projects for communities.
At the state and federal level, we are involved in policy advocacy and development to improve industry practice and ensure better outcomes for communities. This includes reviewing merit criteria for state and federal tender processes, and providing expert advice on best practice community engagement models.
Image: Heidi McElnea (centre), CPA Regional Coordinator, and workshop participants at the Building Better Biodiversity on Solar Farms Workshop, Uralla NSW, 21 May 2024.
What inspires/moves you to keep doing the work to protect nature?
Climate change is a huge threat to our environment, and we need to lower emissions and global warming. One of the most effective ways is to transition from fossil fuel to renewable energy sources. However, we are bringing these developments into regions that have already experienced massive vegetation clearance, often for agriculture, meaning that we need to implement a proactive approach to protecting nature throughout the shift to clean energy.
We are eager to collaborate with the NCC network to promote best practice approaches to protecting nature and biodiversity, in harmony with the urgent shift to renewables. If there is a renewable energy project happening in your area and you would like to discuss how conservation can be incorporated into the planning process, we’d be happy to see if we could help.
Image: Building Better Biodiversity on Solar Farms: A regenerative guide to nature positive solar farming, authored by Community Power Agency's Heidi McElnea and StringyBark Ecological, May 2024.
If you'd like to learn more about Community Power Agency, you can visit their website here.