A $2.3million Victorian Government investment has brought battery storage to six regional Y Discovery Camps, upgrading community recreation facilities used by more than 80,000 young people and community groups every year.
The batteries, paired with existing solar across the sites, store power generated during the day so the camps can run on their own clean energy into the evening instead of drawing from the grid. The result is lower emissions and lower running costs, with the savings going back into keeping camps affordable for the schools, families and community groups who use them.
The funding was provided through the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action, as part of $2.3 million in total works across the six sites, supported by Sport and Recreation Victoria.
The completed project was marked at an official launch at Lady Northcote Discovery Camp near Bacchus Marsh on Wednesday, attended by the Minister for Rural and Regional Development, Michaela Settle, alongside YMCA Victoria and Y Discovery Camps leaders, project partners and local community representatives.
YMCA Victoria Chief Operating Officer Greg Jennings said the upgrade would benefit every group that came through the camps.
More than 80,000 young people visit our camps each year. This investment means they will do it on cleaner and cheaper power, and the savings help us keep camp within reach for schools and families.
The batteries will also be used as a teaching tool for the young people who attend, showing them how a site runs on its own power.
