Award for Ngardara at Smart Energy Awards

First Nations clean energy engagement initiatives have been recognised in the NT Smart Energy Council Awards.

Scotty McDinny is a director of Ngardara Cooperative, a First Nations community-controlled organisation representing the Borroloola community of the Northern Territory.

Currently Borroloola is heavily reliant on expensive diesel, with the remaining power coming from a relatively small solar PV system.

Ngardara Cooperative want to change that. They’re developing the Ngardara Project to increase current solar and battery storage capacity, using a control system that integrates with existing Power and Water Corporation generation of electricity.

The project would allow the Borroloola electricity system to operate at up to 100 per cent renewable energy in some parts of the day, saving the Northern Territory Government 1.2 million litres of diesel every year.

In addition to providing significant benefits to the community, the project will serve as a blueprint for other remote communities necessarily transitioning to clean energy.

Ngardara Cooperative alongside project partners Original Power and GARUWA were recognised as a runner-up for First Nations community engagement for their project in the Smart Energy Council’s awards.