Across Central and North West Victoria, renewable energy developers are looking to invest in local projects and programs that have positive social, community, economic and environmental impact. These companies are creating ‘shared value’ by addressing community needs in ways that improve their bottom line results.

Shared value is defined as policies and practices that enhance the competitiveness of companies while improving local economic, social and environmental conditions in the regions where they operate. Through the Victorian Renewable Energy Auction Scheme, the State has made a compulsory requirement that all participants in the Auction Scheme must demonstrate shared value. 

To assist the State and developers identify and connect to local projects, the Central Victorian Greenhouse Alliance and partnering local governments are inviting local organisations, businesses and individuals to an Expression of Interest to capture local projects as investment opportunities to be communicated through a regional prospectus. 
​
Note that the CVGA will not have a role in selecting projects but is simply gathering a prospectus of potential projects that developers can then use to select from. The CVGA is not being funded by the developers or the State to deliver this, but is doing it for community benefit alone to ensure local communities can be public and on the front foot about local opportunities.

Any type of organisation or individual is able to register their idea through this process. Similarly, your idea does not need to be energy related. The key attribute will be about delivering local benefits to the region the developments occur within. 

If you have a project or program idea that you would like to be supported, please go to www.cvga.org.au/prospectus for more information.
 
Submissions are due by the 31st of December 2017.  Any further information or questions please send an email to comms@cvga.org.au. 

It has been a long time coming, but on the 23rd of November, a unique consortium of Melbourne councils, universities, Zoos Victoria and corporations have released the outcomes of their renewable energy tender. The project, called The Melbourne Renewable Energy Project is groundbreaking, and is the first of its kind project for a consortium to undertake a corporate power purchase agreement in Australia. 

The project will mean that the City of Melbourne, Yarra City Council, Moreland City Council and Port Phillip City Council will soon be purchasing 100% renewable energy for their own corporate energy use. 

The PPA that is being entered into is to undertake a long term PPA with a wind farm in Crowlands, north east of Ararat, with Pacific Hydro as the operator. This points to the big opportunity our region has to provide clean energy to the city, and we are working with our members and other greenhouse alliances across the state to replicate this project. 

A useful guide is now available for any business/organisation/council wishing to consider how it might follow suit and undertake a similar process that the MREP project has taken. The guide is here 

The CVGA recently gathered colleagues from across the region to  celebrate another year of regional climate change action. Our AGM took place on the 16th of November at the Bendigo Town Hall and heard from four presentations; 
 

Thank you to all our presenters and all who attended our AGM and especially to our deputy chair Cr. Jennifer Alden who happily stepped in at the last minute to chair our AGM. 

Our annual report is now available here
 

As we write this, Victoria is experiencing its hottest November week on record. Bureau of Meteorology senior climatologist, Dr Blair Trewin, said the length of the pre-summer swelter was "unprecedented" for this time of the year. 

This is not an outlier, records are being broken month after month, year after year all over the world and points to how climate change is happening now and needs to be planned for. 

At the moment the federal government spends $50 million on resilience activities, yet $500 million on recovery per year. The Australian Business Roundtable for Disaster Resilience are calling for Governments to shift spending from recovery to resilience. 

This means investing more time and resources in factoring climate change into planning and infrastructure decisions, particularly those decisions that have long lifetimes. 

Over the next year, the CVGA is working with the State Government and local governments across our region to build a community of practice to jointly tackle climate change adaptation priorities for our region. 

If you have a particular adaptation challenge or solution please get in touch with Rob Law, eo@cvga.org.au 

Also, don't forget the Heatwave Health resources that can be accessed through the Heatwave Health website.

The CVGA has recently undergone a brand refresh with a new logo and updated website. For up to date information on all of our current projects, advocacy work and events head along to www.cvga.org.au