Electrification

SwitchedOn podcast: Why it took eight years to install a community battery

Published by

After eight years, Melbourne community group Village Power is finally about to switch on its long-awaited community battery. But the project that’s emerged is very different from the one its volunteers originally set out to build.

Village Power president Graeme Martin explains why the journey became a game of snakes and ladders, with regulatory, commercial and practical hurdles forcing the group to constantly rethink its model.

Rather than abandoning their vision, they adapted it, creating a new partnership and community energy program to keep local people at the heart of the project.

Their experience raises a bigger question: are Australia’s energy rules making it harder than they should for communities to participate in the clean energy transition?

Anne Delaney is the host of the SwitchedOn podcast and our Electrification Editor. She has had a successful career in journalism (the ABC and SBS), as a documentary film maker, and as an artist and sculptor.

Anne Delaney

Anne Delaney is the host of the SwitchedOn podcast and our Electrification Editor. She has had a successful career in journalism (the ABC and SBS), as a documentary film maker, and as an artist and sculptor.

Share
Published by

Recent Posts

Energy Insiders Podcast: A battery with every wind turbine

Goldwind's John Titchen explains why and how all new wind turbines could come with their…

31 July 2026

Origin reports big dip in gas sales, as demand falls and batteries grab more of energy mix

Australia’s biggest energy retailer reports significant dip in gas sales, as customer demand falls and…

31 July 2026

Two coal state energy ministers come face to face and present wildly different visions of the future

The energy ministers of Australia's two most coal dependent states come face to face. One…

31 July 2026

Labor’s flagship renewable energy scheme has not worked: It’s time to replace the CIS with a CFD

The CIS has not worked. But the capacity it was designed to procure is needed…

31 July 2026

Green bank expands discount finance offer as businesses pile into solar, EVs and bill-saving equipment

Federal government's green bank expands partnership with big-four bank offering discounted finance for business to…

31 July 2026

“Faster and cheaper:” Fortescue says bespoke green grids can tap into data centre, green iron demand

Fortescue says it can build green power for data centres and other energy users faster…

31 July 2026