GVCE has delivered 2 behind-the-meter islandable neighbourhood batteries for Moyola Aged Care and Merriwa Industries. These will allow these 2 organisations to reduce their energy costs and re-invest the financial savings into site upgrades for workers with disabilities and aged care residents.
Organisation description
GVCE is a social enterprise not for profit community owned company, committed to reducing the carbon footprint of north and north-east Victoria since 2008. GVCE has coordinated the installation of over:
- 3,800 domestic solar PV systems and 50 commercial systems
- 150 solar hot water systems
- 2,700 energy assessments
- 1,000 home energy efficient retrofits
- 194 community seminars/workshops.
Merriwa is an organisation operating as a social enterprise since the mid-1990s. One of Merriwa’s core values is diversity, something it lives and breathes on a daily basis through its people and business operations and employs an all-abilities team of over 300.
Moyola Aged Care offers caring and compassionate residential aged-care and respite-care services with 43 beds, and 36 independent living units at its Moyola Gardens facility for the people of Tatura and the wider community.
Project description
The project will deliver 2 behind-the-meter islandable neighbourhood batteries, supplied and installed by Future NRG, at 2 not-for-profit community sites across Victoria: Moyola Aged Care and Merriwa Industries.
These batteries will reduce energy operating costs by storing excess solar electricity generated on site, for use later in the day to displace electricity sourced from the grid.
This will allow Moyola Aged Care and Merriwa Industries to re-invest these financial savings into site upgrades for workers with disabilities and aged care residents.
Merriwa Industries will use these savings to provide site upgrades to workers with accessibility needs as well as bus transport for workers in the Alpine region.
Moyola Aged Care will reinvest these savings into a sensory garden for the benefit of its dementia patient residents.
Why a battery is needed
The batteries will be in the Shepparton and Wangaratta areas that experience frequent energy outages. They will provide onsite energy reliability to Merriwa and Moyola and assist in stabilising electricity services to the surrounding network to assisti in minimising local outages and reliability issues.
Battery backup power will allow Moyola Aged Care to continue to provide care to its residents as usual and allow Merriwa Industries to continue operating in the event of power outages.
Additionally, the sites need the batteries for operational planning to allow each organisation to increase the level of care and quality of life to their respective workers and residents.
Benefits
The battery will provide:
- energy cost savings to the sites
- increased energy resilience at both sites allowing them to operate during outages for certain periods
- funds for a dementia-friendly sensory garden at the Moyola Aged Care
- funds for site accessibility upgrades for workers at the social enterprise Merriwa Industries
- funds for a specialised bus for transport for Merriwa Industries employees in the Alpine region.
Project Facts
Lead organisation: GV Community Energy
Name of the project: Resilient Community Organisations
Partner organisations:
- Merriwa Industries
- Moyola Aged Care.
Start date: July 2024
Expected completion date: March 2025
Number of batteries: 2
Battery locations:
- Moyola Aged Care, Greater City of Shepparton
- Merriwa Industries, Rural City of Wangaratta.
Battery sizing: 8 Tesla 2 Powerwalls connected in series at each site.
Chemistry and configuration: Lithium-ion, behind-the-meter, islandable.
Page last updated: 22/10/26