• 77 per cent of respondents were supportive of a community battery in their local area
• 69 per cent of were strongly supportive
• 16 per cent of respondents were unsupportive
• 7 per cent of respondents were unsure and/or wanted more information
• 89 per cent of respondents agreed that community batteries are an important part of the solution to transitioning to more renewable energy.

More than 99 per cent of responses supported the five proposed locations at City of Melbourne properties: Library at The Dock, Boyd Community Hub, Council House 2, Kensington Recreation Centre and Queen Victoria Market.

Hundreds of creative suggestions for future battery locations at public buildings and spaces across the municipality included:

• libraries
• community hubs
• hospitals
• universities
• sports facilities
• shopping centres
• public housing
• train stations
• tram and bus stops
• flyovers and traffic islands
• iconic cultural landmarks
• apartment buildings
• schools
• car parks.

A number of respondents proposed their own apartment buildings should host batteries in future.

We asked community what would matter most when considering switching their electricity provider to a renewable energy plan linked to community batteries.

Respondents ranked the options in this order:

1. Price: At least as cheap or cheaper compared to other green plans
2. Transparency: Guaranteed 100 per cent renewable energy
3. Confidence: Reliable, stable renewable power for my home or business
4. Equity: It allows everyone to access renewable energy whether or not they have rooftop solar
5. Trust: In Council, and in Council’s chosen retail energy partner
6. Ease: Simple to switch, great customer service.

Questions about neighbourhood batteries and how the Power Melbourne model will work, included:

• How will this work for renters and residents in apartments with embedded networks?
• Do the batteries output noise or other types of pollution?
• Will they be an environmental hazard when needing to be disposed of at its end of life?
• What are they made out of? Where do the raw materials come from? Where are they manufactured?
• Is Power Melbourne wholly owned by the City of Melbourne?
• Will those batteries only power the buildings they are to be installed in or around? For example, the Vic Market will the battery just power the market buildings?

We also updated our website to address questions which came through the survey, and provided more information during later phases of community engagement.

We also created some video explainers for the project which you can watch on the City of Melbourne’s YouTube channel.