The team at Zero Emissions Noosa, Inc. is made up of two primary project groups (ZENe - ZEN Energy Workgroup and ZENTAG - ZEN Transport Workgroup) made up of volunteers, members, subscribers and Board Members, all eager to make a difference in Noosa Shire.

Whilst you may be aware of some of our flagship projects, many may go unnoticed to subscribers. To get involved in our monthly Project Workgroups and help make your contribution, why not join us (either in person or online) at one of these sessions. It’s a great platform to meet like-minded locals and share great ideas.

For more information, please contact us or Join ZEN. We rely on our members and volunteers to make the difference.

Please read on for some exciting updates from some of these projects and other local relevant news and events.

Happy reading, all.

Warmest Regards,

Anne Kennedy - Chairperson.

ZEN Inc has recently been awarded a grant by Noosa Shire Council to conduct energy efficiency assessments and undertake low-cost energy efficiency upgrades of low-income households.

The team has made contact with a number of agencies and organisations during the grant application process and since to make progress with the independently nominated relevant households within Noosa Shire.

The process of selecting contractors to undertake the energy efficiency assessments is well underway with the target to assess and make recommendations to assess and assist 20 households at this stage.

For more independent information on the impacts of Climate Change on low-income households, click here.

(Image by: Smart Lifestyle Australia)

ZEN in collaboration with Rewiring Australia have been making a difference within the Noosa Shire and surrounds educating groups & individuals about the benefits of Electrifying Everything.

As a result, we are proud to release video testimonials of some individuals who have taken the plunge moving from traditional energy sources to power highly energy efficient appliances coupled with solar and monitoring systems to ensure they are getting the most bang for their buck, AND reducing their carbon footprint.

We are so proud to launch not only our Rewiring Noosa Toolkit along with these video testimonials which are now available online and are working very hard to finalise the Rewiring Noosa Community Benefit report which we will publish and communicate as soon as it is finalised. This report has been months in the making and combines detailed analysis and real time reporting to forecast realistic benefits of Electrifying Everything in Noosa Shire.

To find out more, visit Rewiring Noosa on our website.

Local resident, Rosemary Grundy made the decision to install a 14kW solar system coupled with batteries when they built their home on the Sunshine Coast to ensure the cost of running their home was significantly reduced.

As a result, 97% of the home’s power consumption is generated from their solar. The appliances the solar system powers include a Pool Pump, Dishwasher, Washing Machine and Dryer, 2 x EV’s, Induction cooktops and more.

As a result of this decision, she is pleased to only have received one very small power bill over the 31 months they have lived in the home.

Watch the short video, covering some of her observations and comments and see the benefits and payback period for yourself or visit our website to view other topics more relevant to you at this time.

The Solar For Strata project has significant potential to reduce Noosa Shire’s energy consumption. Some medium and large-scale residential complexes are already choosing to install solar and reap the rewards as a complex.

This project was initiated to assist Body Corporates and Strata Members overcome barriers within multi-residential zones, helping their owners and tenants reduce their power consumption from the grid, their power bills and in one case. to return revenue into their sinking fund.

As a result, we have produced a number of Video testimonials and helpful guides, published on our website including a comprehensive 85 page Solar for Strata Manual.

Visit Solar for Strata for more information.

Arrangements can be made for presentations to your organisation or Body Corporate. Please contact us to register your interest.

A group of 16 electric cars plugged into charging stations in Canberra have given a world-first demonstration of their ability to keep the lights on by feeding power back into the grid during a major grid emergency in February.

More than 90,000 customers lost power for more than an hour in February in Victoria when fierce storms tore down some transmission lines and – to the surprise of the market operator – caused the giant Loy Yang A coal fired generator to trip.

Generators and big batteries responded by injecting power into the grid within seconds, helping to stabilise frequency levels within acceptable bounds and preventing a wider outage. At the same time, 16 Nissan Leafs also helped by feeding power back into the grid more than 500 kms away in Canberra, proving their ability to respond to major grid events.

CLICK HERE to find out more (Article published by The Driven; Image: Ballycroft Winery V2G Connection utilising Nissan Leaf - NISSAN)

According to author, Michelle Lewis, the world’s largest solar farm, in the desert in northwestern Xinjiang, is now connected to China’s grid.

The article published June 4, 2024 (www.electrek.co) writes “the 3.5-gigawatt (GW), 33,000-acre solar farm is outside Urumqi, Xinjiang’s capital. The state asset regulator’s website cited the Power Construction Corp of China and said it came online on Monday.

The solar farm will generate about 6.09 billion kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity annually. Assuming an EV consumes about 3,000 kWh per year, 6.09 billion kWh could power 2.03 million EVs annually.

China now boasts the three largest solar farms in the world by capacity. The Ningxia Tenggeli and Golmud Wutumeiren solar farms, each with a capacity of 3 GW, are already online.

Read the full article here.

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ZEN Inc. is proudly supported by Noosa Council.