Thinking about energy differently
What can a community gain by thinking differently in challenging times? Dr Sarah Houseman recently had a close look at Yackandandah and TRY and shares her thoughts.
The Power of Community Energy
Dr Sarah Houseman, Coordinator
NED Foundation Transitions Program
Affordable food and shelter are the foundations of a liveable community, but energy autonomy alongside interdependence is the key to a truly resilient community. With 2024 recorded as the hottest year on Earth and 2025 set to be worse, communities are recognising the urgent need to transition from fossil fuels to renewables. One small town in regional Victoria is well down the road to this energy transition.
Yackandandah, affectionately known as ‘Yack,’ is more than just a case study in renewable power – it provides other communities with a blueprint for a community-led energy transition. In 2014, a group of residents launched Totally Renewable Yackandandah (TRY) with a vision of their town operating on 100% renewables by 2024.
In fact, they went further: they strived to ensure that the financial and operational benefits of their energy system stayed in the hands of the local community.
Through sheer determination, TRY has facilitated over $2 million in community-driven investment into solar and battery systems. Today, 65% of rooftops in Yack boast solar panels, and the town has trialled three pilot microgrids, established a Virtual Power Plant of 210 properties, provided almost all community buildings with solar (five with batteries), and installed two community batteries, Yack01 (274 kWh) and Yack02 (200 kWh).
This isn’t just about sustainability; it’s about community resilience and economic empowerment. Households with solar in Yack save an average 63% on their power bills, with a payback period of just 3-5 years. But most importantly, Yackandandah’s emergency preparedness has been boosted, giving the community confidence and peace of mind, and ensuring profits and savings from the energy transition benefit locals.
The impact of this approach has been profound. An early win occurred in 2017 when TRY collaborated with the town’s Health Service to install 99 kW of solar panels and undertake some efficiency measures. At that time, this saved $35,000 annually, allowing the community to have critical health care services funded. Unlike traditional centralised energy systems Yackandandah’s model boosts the local economy, making energy an asset to individual households and organisations, rather than a financial burden. Further boosting the theme of ‘local energy’, TRY helped establish a community-based energy retailer Indigo Power, now an independent and thriving social enterprise.
The community-led journey to renewables was not without challenges. Initially, convincing some residents of the benefits of renewables was difficult. TRY tackled this by prioritising community relationships over short-term project wins. TRY’s approach is pragmatic and innovative; they are always looking for smart ways to use renewables by thinking about energy differently. They put to good use the fact that batteries can provide essential support when centralised power systems fail, and improve stability in the local network. Yackandandah’s renewable installations will prove their worth by keeping vital community and emergency services running.
Yackandandah’s ongoing transition to renewables demonstrates the ‘benefits to all’ of local energy resilience.
Yackandandah has taken an ambitious approach to partnership and collaboration, working with many different local, state and national entities to advance the goal of low carbon, local and resilient power. As an early adopter, TRY was well positioned to partner strategically with Mondo, a subsidiary of AusNet, the owner of one of Victoria’s electricity distribution networks. As a result, the town of Yackandandah has piloted innovative solar, battery and microgrid technology. This collaboration helped create working examples that other communities are now following. However, more investment by industry and government would be required to make Yack’s energy innovations scalable.
Today, Totally Renewable Yackandandah has inspired and supported many other communities to adopt their own locally relevant clean power programs. Such community-led initiatives demonstrate that local communities can design an energy future customised for their economic and energy needs. Yackandandah’s success is not just a renewable energy victory – it’s a triumph of local ambition. The message is clear: encouraging 100% participation and thinking about energy differently, can help create an energy future that is 100% renewable, while also strengthening the local community.
The above is a summary of energy transition activities in Yackandandah by Dr Sarah Houseman, who visited Yackandandah in June, October and November 2024. Over that time she interviewed eight community members and participated in TRY community events, including the 10th Anniversary celebration. After working closely with TRY members, Dr Houseman developed the framework for her Transitions research project, a ‘light’ ethnographic study of Yackandandah and the work of TRY.
TRY would like to thank the NED Foundation for attending and contributing generously to our 10th Anniversary Celebration.
About the NED Foundation
The NED Foundation supports community-based research in social development. A philanthropic organisation, NED seeks to support people and organisations working towards ensuring species survival through workshops, restorative practice and funding community projects. The Transitions program began by seeking ways that NED might prepare and contribute to the collective work of adapting people and communities to the increasingly erratic climatic conditions on Earth. Dr Houseman is developing an evidence base of transition case studies with the intention of sharing stories of ‘doing transition better’. Yackandandah is the first of a number of case studies of innovative community-led regional initiatives.