AUSTRALIA BUILDS AN EXCELLENT MODEL OF A COMMUNITY OWNED SOLAR PARK

AUSTRALIA BUILDS AN EXCELLENT MODEL OF A COMMUNITY OWNED SOLAR PARK

What exactly is a solar park? And has anyone heard of this model being built in the Philippines?

I recently came across an interesting Australian model that immediately caught my attention. It is called the Yiray Clean Energy Park, formerly known as the Orange Community Renewable Energy Park, in New South Wales.

It has 11,676 solar panels, a capacity of 6.8 megawatts, and a 10.5 MWh battery storage system. It is expected to generate more than 13.2 gigawatt-hours of electricity annually—enough to power approximately 2,150 homes.

But for me, the most interesting part is not the number of solar panels.

It is community ownership.

The project was developed through a partnership between energy developer EDP and the Energy Democracy Central West NSW Co-operative. About 128 local community co-owners invested $1.36 million directly into the project.

In simple language, I would call this “combined solar” instead of “individual solar.”

Instead of saying, “to each his own,” when it comes to solar power, why not say “one for all, all for one”?

That sounds very much like bayanihan to me.

I wonder why we are not seeing more of this in our own communities.

There are probably many Filipino homeowners who have already invested in individual solar systems. But have they ever considered connecting their efforts into a community solar system?

Could the problem simply be that nobody is organizing them?

In theory, a group of homeowners could organize a solar cooperative, either as a multi-purpose cooperative or a cooperative specifically for renewable energy.

The material I received points out that the Philippines already has community and cooperative solar initiatives involving electric cooperatives supervised by the National Electrification Administration (NEA), as well as cooperatives registered with the Cooperative Development Authority (CDA). It also cites the emerging Renewable Energy Co-operatives (RECO-OP) Federation.

So perhaps we are really not starting from zero.

I can even see a connection with something we discussed during my days with the old Ministry of Human Settlements—combining shelter and livelihood.

Today, why not add energy and mobility?

A community could generate solar electricity, operate charging stations for electric vehicles, and perhaps even organize a transport cooperative. If the community has more reliable power, its communications and internet infrastructure could also become more resilient.

And in coastal communities, could locally generated renewable electricity eventually help power desalination?

These are not just questions about solar panels.

They are questions about how we design communities.

Australia has demonstrated one possible model: communities can become not merely consumers of electricity, but co-owners of the energy system.

Why can't we develop a distinctly Filipino version of that model?

Maybe we should call it Bayanihan Solar.

One community. One cooperative. One shared source of clean energy.

One for all, all for one.

RAMON IKE V. SENERES

www.facebook.com/ike.seneres  iseneres@yahoo.com  senseneres.blogspot.com  09088877282/09-14-2027