Help for clean energy

Rotary Margaret River has provided $25,000 to the Augusta Margaret River Clean Community Energy group to do a feasbility study for a potential 10MW wind farm.

Clean Community Energy chair Lyn Serventy said Rotary were able to see the enormous benefits of the clean energy project to the community.

“It is fantastic that community groups can work together to achieve outcomes that will benefit everyone,” Ms Serventy said.

“The breadth of community support has been incredible.  Along with Rotary we have had assistance from the shire, and from dairy farmer Ross Woodhouse, who has generously donated the results of earlier feasibility work he carried out,” she said.

“Start up funding and support from the Shire have been essential, and this latest donation from Rotary shows the community is really behind our push to power the Shire with clean energy.

In addition to numerous other cash and in kind donations Clean Community Energy group has received many hours of pro bono professional services.

“Every bit counts, but this generous donation from Rotary is a substantial amount that will allow us to move forward,” Ms Serventy said.

 “I think it shows that Rotary, as an organisation, is able to think about what is good for the community in an “out of the box” way.”

Wind monitoring has already commenced for the feasibility study, and investigations into creating biogas from dairy manure waste has also started.

Both of these projects will add to data donated by Mr Woodhouse.  

“The benefits to the local community and the environment in general of the project going ahead will be significant,” Ms Serventy said.

“We will reduce emissions and more than meet the target of producing 20 per cent of the energy consumed in the shire from renewable sources.

“Should the facility prove feasible the value created in establishing this project will be returned to the Augusta Margaret River community through on-going support for other emission reduction projects.”