Solar helps to power up versatility of Aireys centre

THE Aireys Inlet Community Centre now has solar power through an investment from the RACV’s Solar in the Regions program.

Solar in the Regions aims to improve safety for regional towns by adapting regional community buildings and installing solar power to make them more resilient to extreme weather events.

These buildings are designed to continue functioning independently of the primary communications and power networks in an emergency.

The Aireys Inlet Community Centre could potentially play a role in supporting the community to recover from events such as bushfires within the shire.

The solar installation at the centre includes rooftop solar plus a battery that can provide backup power, in addition to the extensive weatherproofing work done across the whole site.

The project has reduced the flammability of the grounds through fire-wise landscaping, and the surrounding bushland encompasses open forest and woodland, which is being actively managed to reduce the overall fire risk to the area.

Other works include ember-proof mesh to protect the assets, the relocation of the pipes and water tank, and recalculating running times on the external sprinkler system.

Surf Coast Shire mayor Libby Stapleton said the project delivers an important action in the council’s Climate Emergency Corporate Response Plan to establish a best practice building demonstration site.

“This location demonstrates environmental leadership and will improve the resilience of this community facility both now and in the future.

“The new solar system and the battery will complement several safety upgrades including the addition of a new rooftop sprinkler, which will increase the building’s capacity to resist fire impact and its capacity to support community recovery after emergency events.

“This work will ensure our community facilities are adapting to the impacts of our changing climate and helping to keep our communities safe.”

RACV Solar chief executive officer Andy McCarthy expected there would be other projects modelled off the Aireys Inlet site, and councils in the G21 Geelong Region Alliance had all demonstrated exceptional leadership.

“It is great to have a future-proof and retrofitted centre incorporating solar and state-of-the-art technologies on the Surf Coast not only for emergencies, but also for everyday use.

“The costs associated with power bills can now instead be put towards other initiatives the community can enjoy.”