Totally Renewable Denmark (TRD) is an initiative of Green Skills that supports the Denmark community to make the switch to Renewable Energy. TRD run free workshops on how you can do this with solar, batteries and electric transport options. We have had lots of interest from the community workshops and we are currently looking into financing, green loans and bulk buying schemes.
TRD is about acting as a facilitator for the above objectives to be achieved. It will require advocacy to government to support community initiatives, the development of financially and technically viable renewable energy generation and storage options to be identified, and a marketing strategy to attract the necessary investment. We are fortunate to have a Shire with a strong commitment to renewable energy and action in the face of climate change, and a community with appetite to sign onto this objective. We are optimistic and keen to make it happen quickly.
CONTACT US
If you have any comments/queries, workshop ideas, skills/ expertise you’d like to offer please get in contact:
Via email [email protected] or
T 08 9848 3310
The TRD working group received funding through the community fund to develop a program of community consultation towards producing an Action Plan. The plan details next steps, and will be utilised to seek further funding to develop more renewable energy generation, storage and microgrid options for Denmark. Click on the image above to access the full document.
RECENT EVENTS 2023/2024
Electric Car Forum
On and off Grid Home Energy Systems (Solar & Battery) Field Trip
Bicycle / Electric Bike Ride (Event)
Household Waste and Energy Audit Workshop
CREATE
COMMUNITY RENEWABLE ENERGY ALLIANCE
of TOWNS and ENTERPRISES
CREATE is an alliance of seven community energy (CE) groups in Western Australia which came together at the end of 2022 to discuss barriers experienced by CE groups in WA. The report to the right outlines recommendations to State government which would support CE groups to assist communities to decarbonize their towns.
Across Australia there are at least 105 CRE groups. State Governments in Victoria, New South Wales,
the Australian Capital Territory and Queensland run programs which support local communities to address climate change, embrace decarbonization and implement the transition to renewables.
Our History
Green Town Denmark Walpole project 2007 – 2013
The Green Town Denmark Walpole project was initiated by the community in response to regular blackouts on the grid that crippled tourism and local businesses. These were particularly bad during Easter of 2007. When the Economic Regulatory Authority identified that there was no business case for investing in poles and wires to upgrade the service to edge of grid communities, the community made a proposal to Western Power through which some monies were spent swapping out old, inefficient electrical appliances from local households with energy efficient models. This deferred the necessity for the significant upgrade of poles and wires, which have not been upgraded since.
The intention of the Green Town project was to reduce peak energy demand, reduce overall energy use and emissions, and generate renewable energy and jobs in Denmark. It was a collaboration between Western Power, community and key stakeholders. Its success led to development by community members of the Denmark Community Windfarm Pty Ltd (DCW Ltd), which was commissioned in February, 2013. The wind farm is operated as a public company with its 116 shareholders largely being community members. It supports a Community Sustainable Living Fund through DCW Inc., a not-for-profit community group which has a 10% shareholding in the wind farm.
Denmark Community Windfarm (dcw.net.au)
The wind farm has now been operating almost 10 years, providing between 40 – 50% of the power needs of Denmark from the two 800kW Enercon E48 turbines. Each turbine is 55 metres high, with a working life 20/21 years. It is managed by the DCW Ltd Board, has a management contract with Skyfarming, and a maintenance contract with Enercon which includes using local contractors to service the turbines. DCW Ltd has a power purchase agreement (PPA) with Synergy and a network access contract with Western Power to 2035 to operate its wind farm.
Although the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) originally approved 4 turbines on the windfarm site, Western Power constrained the voltage to a maximum of 1.4 MW, resulting in only 2 turbines being constructed. In 2021, Totally Renewable Denmark (TRD) was formed with the hope that it could now erect two more turbines on the site. To date, negotiations with Western Power have failed to green light this extension. Again, the sticking point is the cost of upgrading poles and wires which Western Power demands falls to DCW Ltd.
It takes a community effort!
The community of Denmark have worked hard over more than two decades to achieve all that they have achieved. The journey has been arduous. Some of the greatest difficulties have included the paperwork required by state and federal governments and their enterprises; changes in ministers; voltage constraints imposed by regulation; and the need to seek Synergy’s agreement for expansion of the Windfarm. The line upgrade required to allow a further two turbines to expand onto the grid is estimated to cost $100,000 per kms for a distance of 10kms. While Synergy are not interested in smaller scale renewable energy, Western Power have voltage management issues. They also don’t have a clear management plan for incorporating future developments into their system, such as more renewable energy and the uptake of Electric Vehicles (EVs), which we believe they underestimate. With impediments in policy and vision at governmental levels, TRD is driven to look at innovative ways of expanding Windfarm investment in renewable energy generation and storage.