Climate Change

Energy Strategy

The City’s Energy Strategy, endorsed by Council in December 2019, outlines the City’s approach and commitments to reducing energy use and increasing the uptake of renewable energies.

Vision: “Minimise energy costs and greenhouse gas emissions, through using energy as efficiently as possible and optimising our approach to generation and use of renewable energy, and to maximise return to ratepayers through becoming a net energy generator”.

Targets:

1. To generate 100% of the City of Busselton electricity needs from renewable sources by 2030.
2. To reduce City of Busselton corporate carbon emissions per capita to 50% on 2017/18 levels by 2030.
3. Develop efficiency targets for fleet and plant by 2025.

Cities Power Partnership (CPP)

The City is also a member of the Cities Power Partnership (CPP), which is a an Australia-wide program that assists and supports all Local Governments to celebrate and accelerate their carbon emissions reduction and clean energy initiatives. As part of the program, the City committed to the following pledges:

1. install renewable energy (solar PV and battery storage) on City buildings
2. set targets to increase the level of renewable power for City operations over time
3. pursue development of a mid-scale solar farm
4. identify opportunities to turn waste into energy
5. roll out energy efficient lighting for City-owned public lighting

Solar Systems

The City has installed PV solar systems on several community facilities, including the Geographe Leisure Centre, Administration Building, Busselton Library, Naturaliste Community Centre, Busselton Depot and Community Resource Centre to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and energy costs.

Community Battery – PowerBank

The City has partnered with Western Power and Synergy to install a 116kW (464kWh) Tesla community battery PowerBank in Shovelboard Way, Vasse. The PowerBank product offers eligible individual households the opportunity to benefit from battery storage and optimise their existing solar generation, without having to outlay upfront costs for a behind-the-meter battery storage system.

Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Stations

The City of Busselton partnered with RAC to deliver EV chargers at Dunsborough and Busselton Foreshore in 2015, this was when the number of electric vehicles on the road in Western Australia was quite small. At the time the market was too small to attract significant private investment in charging infrastructure. Both demand for and supply of electric vehicles is improving across Western Australia, as is the rollout of charging infrastructure.

Electric vehicle charging infrastructure is undertaken by the private sector and there is an expectation that additional charging infrastructure will be delivered without the need for the City to subsidise or undertake that investment. The City is aware of continued collaboration between landowners and providers to develop additional charging infrastructure on private land, such as shopping/retail car parks, or hotel/accommodation sites. Significant new investment in EV charging at service stations is also becoming more common.

For more information, the Synergy website contains useful information on the current and future networks, and the Plugshare page shows information on chargers from a range of sources. Additionally, Chargefox who administer the RAC chargers in Dunsborough and Busselton (and others across the state) have been trialling a program in parts of the state to reduce wait times at charging infrastructure, known as Idle Fees. This program may help to alleviate wait times, while EV charging infrastructure is further developed.

Building a Sustainable House

For tips and advice on how to build a sustainable house or retrofit your existing house, check the following brochure.

Peron Naturaliste Partnership

The City is a member of the Peron Naturaliste Partnership (PNP), which is a network of local governments committed to monitoring, identifying and managing coastal assets in relation to the impacts of climate change.

Impacts of Climate Change

Impacts of climate change for the South West of WA include:

1. increased coastal erosion and inundation
2. increase in frequency and severity of bushfire
3. increase in frequency and severity of extreme weather events
4. reduced potable water supplies
5. changes to wetlands and waterways
6. loss of biodiversity
7. human health impacts due to an increase in vector-borne diseases and heatwaves

Coastal Adaptation Strategy

A Coastal Adaptation Strategy is currently being developed for the City to address issues related to coastal erosion and coastal flooding risk, which is reflected in an integrated way in the local planning scheme, as well as the City’s infrastructure and financial planning, and which will protect urban areas from coastal flooding and coastal erosion, or provide for managed retreat from vulnerable areas.

Significant work is also underway to secure non-climate vulnerable access to non-potable water in Dunsborough (Sue Coals Aquifer) and Busselton (treated wastewater).