The head of Totally Renewable Yackandandah says some bushfire relief funding should be granted to community organisations that can build solar energy networks in towns, so people do not have to go without power due to a fire-damaged electricity supply.
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In a blog post on the group's website, TRY chairman Matt Grogan said that in the wake of vulnerable and isolated Border communities being left without power and clean water for weeks, regional communities would be on the frontline of rebuilding.
"We know climate change has driven the severity of these fires. We know climate change means more fire seasons like this one."
He pointed to Scotland as an example of where regional economies had thrived with investment in renewable electricity generation, where profits remain in the community.
"Directing a portion of the bushfire recovery money towards community-led, decentralised electricity generation and storage projects is the perfect opportunity to prove that, like Scotland, rural Australians can take control and benefit from providing clean energy to themselves and the rest of the country," Mr Grogan said.
"This could be a game-changer for remote towns like Corryong and Walwa who are vulnerable to disruption to their electricity supply during natural disasters, when the community most need access to power."
Yackandandah has received a total of about $700,000 in Victorian government grants, which it has used to build infrastructure in an effort to make the town 100 per cent reliant on renewable energy, rather than needing the electricity grid.
"The good news, if there can be any, for communities affected by bushfire, is that the concept has now been proven," Mr Grogan said.
"A narrative of fear will not help rural communities recover.
"Community-owned energy projects can provide hope for the future by enabling rural communities to take control of their own destinies."