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SwitchedOn podcast: The first question to ask if you want to install a community battery

March 27, 2025 by Anne Delaney Leave a Comment

In the second episode of our series of interviews with community energy groups installing batteries – So you want to install a community battery – we speak to Lachlan Hensey, the energy and storage project lead for Yarra Energy Foundation (YEF), one of the few community energy groups in Australia to successfully install a community battery.

While most so-called ‘community batteries’ are actually installed by electricity networks, YEF navigated the significant financial, regulatory and system hurdles community groups face to make theirs a reality.

He shares how they did it, the challenges they overcame, and why defining the problem the battery is supposed to solve is key to designing a successful project.

SwitchedOn Australia · So you want to install a community battery? How Yarra Energy Foundation did it.
Anne Delaney
Anne Delaney

Anne Delaney is the host of the SwitchedOn podcast and our Electrification Editor, She has had a successful career in journalism (the ABC and SBS), as a documentary film maker, and as an artist and sculptor.

Filed Under: Podcasts, Battery/Storage, Electrification, Energy Efficiency

About Anne Delaney

Anne Delaney is the host of the SwitchedOn podcast and our Electrification Editor, She has had a successful career in journalism (the ABC and SBS), as a documentary film maker, and as an artist and sculptor.

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