electric dreams
ELECTRIFY 2515 IS A GRASS-ROOTS COMMUNITY MOVEMENT THAT’S HELPING LOCAL HOUSEHOLDS AND BUSINESSES SWITCH ACROSS TO RENEWABLE ENERGY. WE SPOKE TO KRISTEN MCDONALD FRESH FROM A WHIRLWIND ADVOCACY TRIP IN CANBERRA.
Interview Duncan Rintoul
What’s your project?
Electrify 2515 has lots of moving pieces. In an attempt to address the climate crisis as well as the cost-of-living crunch, our goal is to create Australia’s first electric-powered community, right here in the Illawarra. At the moment we’re raising awareness about what electrification means and what its benefits are, developing partnerships, applying for funding and lobbying governments of all tiers.
We’re currently organising a community solar roll out through trusted suppliers to increase local solar generation. Subsidies could also be on the cards in 2515 for certain appliances and maybe some types of batteries, but this hinges on government funding for a potential pilot program. We’re applying for this funding with Rewiring Australia, a non-profit organisation, to demonstrate the ‘proof of concept’ of electrification concentrated in a single community. If we’re successful, this pilot project will be the first of its kind and the lessons we learn will help all Australian communities take a similar path.
What’s the impact you’re aiming for?
Most homes in Australia are powered by fossil fuels in one way or another. You might use a gas hot water system, or gas appliances for heating and cooking. Or maybe you get around in a petrol or diesel car. It all adds up: 70% of the Australia’s total domestic emissions come from households and suburban businesses. And it’s costly: the average home spends $5,000 on energy every year, including over $3,000 on petrol or diesel. This compares to less than $2,000 a year if your household and car ran on electricity. Every year in our 2515 community alone, we send over $15 million overseas just to fuel our cars. Imagine the benefit to the community and local businesses if even half of that was saved and spent locally!
The great thing with electrification is that the alternatives are available now. Australian rooftop solar is the world’s cheapest form of energy, and by switching to more efficient, electric appliances like an induction cooktop or a heat pump for your hot water or air conditioning, you can cut your emissions and your energy costs today. Part of this is about hardware, but there’s also a behavioural element to it. Like thinking about timing – running your dishwasher or hot water system during the day when your solar energy is abundant and free, rather than running it overnight.
Running on renewables isn’t just a nice idea, it’s a really powerful set of choices that a household or business can make. What we’re trying to do in Electrify 2515 is to help people make that change and then use the success story to lobby governments to assist all Australian households to electrify.
Why is this important? What makes you fired up about it?
The team at Electrify 2515 and I have all been concerned about climate change for a long time, and we’ve each taken various actions in our own way. Up until a few years ago, a lot of my headspace was focused on what governments and industry needed to do and a lot of my climate action was about trying to stop negative things from happening elsewhere. That’s really swung around now, and my heart is set on trying to start something positive close to home.
Climate change can feel very overwhelming. The big realisation I had a was about what a whole community can achieve if we take collective action. We don’t have to wait for someone else to do something or for the correct policy settings to come through. We can do this for ourselves, if we do it together.
What makes the Illawarra a great place to do this?
The whole of the Illawarra feels very connected to the local environment – it always has. And there’s a long history of energy production in the local area. We’re not called the Coal Coast for nothing! We want to build on our proud connection with energy and connect with what our future energy landscape will look like.
The way energy will look for our children will have to be different to how it looked for our parents. Electrification is going to happen, it’s just a matter of how fast and whether the Illawarra can get in early and position itself at the forefront. There will be heaps of jobs in it, and it’s important that local workers are supported to make the transition. I’m convinced we can play a leadership role nationally.
The opportunity we have is to provide a learning site that other communities can take inspiration from. Part of this is about showing the technological impact in a community, like what impact concentrated electrification has on the grid. There’s also a need to better understand different financial products, like green loans that can help people jump in if they don’t have the capital up front. And there’s also lots to learn about the human side and how we can become smarter with our energy use – like running your dishwasher when the sun is powering your solar panels rather than at night. Finally, we’re learning a lot about what it takes to get three levels of government, households, energy providers, manufacturers, installers, investors and everyone else all working together.
The response from the community so far has been amazing. I think that’s because there are so many entry points for people. For those who care deeply about environmentalism and climate change, electrification is tangible and will dramatically reduce emissions. For people who are worried about cost-of-living issues, it’s super relevant as a way to save money on energy bills. And for people who are interested in community action, the connections that people have been making through this project have just been wonderful.
What have you learned about the process of leading change? Any nuggets of wisdom for other budding Coal Coast Changemakers?
I am just one of the many who are passionately trying to support this project whilst managing jobs, kids and busy lives. I believe change isn’t about individuals, but about collective action. My biggest tip is to find people who share your passion and bring their own skills, and then work together with them. I really feel part of a team and have been overwhelmed by our community who have offered to chip in some way or another, or at least to go out of their way to encourage us.
Also, I also suggest you take the time to learn what’s already been done, because there are so many people out there doing great things. Collaborative leading means you’re doing a lot of learning at the same time. And never underestimate how much power a community can have when it gets behind something that matters.
“We want to build on our proud connection with energy and connect with what our future energy landscape will look like”
How can the community get involved?
If you want to take action right now, get solar on your roof and start thinking about how you can get yourself off gas. Next time one of your gas appliances breaks down, replace it with an efficient electric option. Our community solar roll out is available for all Illawarra locals, not just 2515 residents, so please get in touch.
To get into more of the science behind electrification, a great place to start is a book called The Big Switch by Illawarra local Dr Saul Griffiths. The Rewiring Australia website also has lots of explainers and technical papers.
If you’re in 2515, register your interest to be part of the potential pilot with Rewiring Australia. And wherever you live we plan on rolling out initiatives for all so keep in touch on our website or social media
Meet the New Joneses
Award-winning series The New Joneses are back with a fresh season of 10 new 10-minute explainers on climate change and how we can all be part of the solution at home, everyday.
The team hit the road on The New Joneses EV Road Trip and explore our very own Coal Coast. Each episode features local heroes sharing ‘one thing’ we can all do to protect the planet we love and live on - including Rewiring Australia’s Saul Griffiths and Hi Neighbour’s Yael Stone.
Check out season 3 at http://www.thenewjoneses.com
For more information check out electrify2515.org or follow @electrify2515 on Insta and Facebook