In June 2024 we celebrated the launch of our first Power Melbourne community battery at Russell Place in the CBD. The Lord Mayor, Deputy Lord Mayor and Councillors were joined by Minister D’Ambrosio, Parliamentary Secretary Sheena Watt, Uncle Tony Garvey and Origin Zero EGM James Magill, as well as Community Champions, university partners, and countless City of Melbourne team members who contributed to reaching this exciting milestone.
About the size of four single door fridges, the battery can store 400kWh – that's equivalent to about 30 household battery systems. This battery has been decorated by local contemporary artist Mysterious Al who created a unique design called "Let's get energised" specially for the city laneway location.
Learn more about Mysterious Al, the artist behind the work, and his artwork decorating the CBD battery.
Our second battery will be installed at Boyd Community Hub, a heritage-listed building and beloved centre of community activity in Southbank for many years, including during its previous life as a school for girls. Like the Council House battery, this one can store 400kWh, equivalent to about 30 household battery systems.
We’ll celebrate the launch of this battery in the coming months with a showcase celebrating the diverse sustainability and climate initiatives being undertaken by local community groups and City of Melbourne teams.
Michael Fikaris, the artist who created the artwork, ‘Progress is in the Process’ for this battery says: Sitting in nature and drawing with a pencil onto paper is where these illustrations begin. The longer I sit with nature, the more I will see and appreciate the shapes and colours around me.
The third and final battery in the Power Melbourne pilot network will be installed at Library at The Dock, an innovative 6-star Green Star building which hosts a popular community hub in Docklands. Located on the rooftop of the Library at The Dock, this battery can store 320kWh – that's equivalent to about 25 household battery systems.
Our artist for the rooftop battery is Amina Briggs, a Boonwurrung/Erub/Ugar woman and emerging artist who created this work called Cleaning Waa, ta! Amina says: The work depicts Waa, the protector of the waterways in my Boonwurrung culture, taking a bath in the Yarra River. The takeaway with this piece is for people to have a giggle. It’s not every day you see a public artwork of a bird bathing in water, especially a significant figure such as Waa on top of a library.
The launch of this battery in the coming months will include fun workshop activities for school aged library visitors to learn hands-on about energy and how batteries work.
The batteries will generate revenue, which during the pilot phase (approximately 18 months) will flow to a community energy fund to support local renewable projects.
Following this, the batteries will be linked to a renewable electricity plan to improve access to more affordable renewable electricity.
Keep following the Power Melbourne Participate page to learn more as information is available about the community energy fund and the eventual retail product.
How would you decorate a community battery in your neighbourhood? Download a colouring sheet featuring Mysterious Al’s CH1 battery artwork. Look out for our colouring competition later this year after all three batteries are installed and all the artworks have been revealed.
Download a colouring sheet featuring Michael Fikaris's Boyd battery artwork. Look out for our colouring competition later this year after all three batteries are installed and all the artworks have been revealed.
Want to know more about the Power Melbourne batteries and how the model works? Download the Power Melbourne Community Batteries factsheet.
Want to learn more about the Power Melbourne commercial model and network setup? Download the Power Melbourne Community Battery Model factsheet.
As the batteries are connected to the grid and networked together we can track their activity, including when they charge up and discharge. Keep an eye on this website for a data dashboard available later this year.
Acknowledgement of Traditional Owners
The City of Melbourne respectfully acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the land we govern, the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung and Bunurong / Boon Wurrung peoples of the Kulin and pays respect to their Elders past and present. We acknowledge and honour the unbroken spiritual, cultural and political connection they have maintained to this unique place for more than 2000 generations.
We accept the invitation in the Uluru Statement from the Heart and are committed to walking together to build a better future.
