Menu Close

Meet CLEANaS

Meet CLEANaS

CLEANaS is the Clean Energy Association of Newcastle and Surrounds, a not-for-profit association formed in 2012 by a group of locals passionate about clean energy.

CLEANaS is driving the uptake of clean energy in the Hunter Region to transition from its current dependency on fossil fuels to a more competitive and sustainable local economy. They achieve this by:

  • working with its partners to demonstrate profitable community-led and community-owned clean energy projects
  • advocating for clean energy in the local economy through education and awareness-raising strategies
  • working towards improving access to finance and affordable technologies to facilitate investment in clean energy infrastructure development.

CLEANaS initiatives must deliver a win-win for local community investors, local enterprises and, of course, the environment. They are active across several Local Government Areas in the Hunter Region.

The latest CLEANaS project is the Gundy Community Solar Farm development of a one-megawatt combined solar/storage plant near Scone that the local community will own.

This project seeks to combine solar and storage technology with community ownership. For example, this model offers participating residents or members equity in the scheme and income earned by generating and storing clean energy.

In addition, this venture will create an opportunity for 200-500 households or individuals to become stakeholders and owners of their local energy supply and facility. This project will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 1000 tonnes of CO2 annually. This is equivalent to taking about 520 cars off the road!

A legacy of this project will be for CLEANaS to continue developing clean energy schemes for the future using its community-focused model.

To find out more, email CLEANaS, see their website – or better still, come and chat with members at the Sustainable Futures Festival at Salamander Bay on Sunday, 11 September.

Published: 12 May 2022