MORE Moorabool residents are beginning to harness the power of the sun.
A federal government report has revealed that in the first half of last year, 171 property owners in Bacchus Marsh and 34 in Ballan hooked up solar panels to power their electricity.
About 20 local solar supporters gathered in Ballan late last month with Ballarat Greens candidate Stephanie Hodgins-May to celebrate the uptake of solar in the electorate.
Moorabool Environment Group’s Rose De la Cruz said she would love to see a future where every building became a “mini electricity-producing power station” by installing solar panels.
“The sun is free, infinite and non-polluting,” she said. “More and more Australians are turning to solar power as a way of saving money by generating their own clean energy.”
Ms De la Cruz said solar was becoming a cheaper option as technology improved.
“Last year alone the costs of rooftop solar panels came down by 45 per cent. Australia is one of the sunniest countries in the world and even in our cold old Ballarat area we have an average of five hours of sunshine a day over the year.”
Parwan’s Kate Tubbs has 12 solar panels on her roof.
She said she had cut her electricity bill by up to a third and was now paying about $100 a month.
“It was an environmental decision, though.
“There’s been a great uptake of solar power in Moorabool, but I wish more people would get involved.”
