Goulburn community celebrates Australia’s first community‑owned solar farm and battery

23 March 2026

The Business Council of Co-operatives and Mutuals (BCCM) was honoured to join the Goulburn community for the opening of Australia’s first community‑owned solar farm and battery, a landmark achievement in democratic ownership and regional leadership in the clean energy transition. The project shows how community capital, people power and co‑operative governance can deliver long-term benefits for regional Australia.

Located on the western side of the Canberra to Sydney railway line, the 1.4 megawatt solar farm and four megawatt hour battery will generate enough clean electricity to power 500 homes. The project was made possible through a unique partnership between local community members, the Goulburn Community Energy Cooperative (GCEC), Community Energy for Goulburn (CE4G), delivery partners and the NSW Government.

The ribbon cutting was performed by BCCM CEO Melina Morrison, GCEC Chair Andrew Bray and MP David Mehan, representing the NSW Treasurer.

Leadership built on people power

The origins of the GCEC go back more than a decade, beginning not in boardrooms but around kitchen tables, where local residents came together with a shared purpose to act on climate, energy and their community’s future. Volunteers persevered through shifting policy settings, regulatory delays, a global pandemic and rising construction and finance costs.

This sustained collective effort reflects the resilience of the co‑operative model. Co‑operatives endure because they begin with people power, not external capital. They form trusted, long-term partnerships with governments, developers and businesses precisely because communities are not passive stakeholders – they are owners.

At the opening, BCCM CEO Melina Morrison reflected on the significance of the achievement:

“You started with an idea and now you own an energy asset. You have walked together, showing together we are stronger.”

Unlocking community capital: the real impact investors

The Goulburn project highlights the capacity of co‑operatives to mobilise community capital at scale. Around 300 local and community investors have contributed more than $2.5 million, alongside more than $2 million in government grant support. These member‑shareholders are the true and often unsung impact investors in Australia’s clean energy transition.

Members invest not only for financial return but for place, purpose and future generations. Because the co‑operative is 100 per cent community owned, value stays local and economic benefits circulate through the region.

This is the co‑operative difference: capital aligned with community benefit, governed democratically on a one‑member‑one‑vote basis.

Social licence and a fair energy transition

The Goulburn project demonstrates why social licence is essential to the political viability of Australia’s energy transition. Communities must feel included, respected and fairly rewarded if the transition is to succeed.

Community‑owned energy builds trust because:

• Communities have a real stake
• Benefits are shared
• Ownership is democratic

This approach strengthens confidence not only in energy reform but also in other essential services where trust has eroded, including housing and social care. Co‑operatives provide a proven ownership structure for delivering services where communities feel excluded or let down by conventional models.

Recognition from government

Parliamentary Secretary to the NSW Treasurer, David Mehan MP highlighted the deep regional benefits of the co‑operative model and its central role in ensuring returns stay local. He said:

“The co‑operative model has grounded this project in the region. It has anchored it ethically and in the way it has been delivered – from using local businesses to keeping benefits local. Around 80 per cent of profit remains in this community. Few renewable energy projects in NSW can say that. The co‑operative model has made it possible here in Goulburn.”

GCEC’s role in the national movement

GCEC is a proud member of the BCCM and an active participant in the BCCM Energy Co‑operative Forum. Its experience is already informing new community energy initiatives nationwide. Far from being an outlier, GCEC has become a pathfinder – showing what is possible when communities are trusted, supported and empowered to lead.

The BCCM continues to advocate for a better policy environment so other communities can follow this model. This includes addressing barriers that GCEC and other co‑operatives face, such as the tax treatment of energy grants and regulatory systems designed for large corporations rather than democratic, community‑owned enterprises.

State governments can also strengthen community investment by modernising co‑operative legislation and streamlining approvals, ensuring communities do not face higher hurdles than large corporations when they invest collectively in their own infrastructure.

Learning from international leadership

International experience shows what supportive policy can achieve. In the United Kingdom, the Government has committed to doubling the size of the co‑operative and mutual economy as part of a whole‑of‑economy strategy for competition, resilience and community wealth building.

Community energy is a recognised priority sector, backed by long-term public investment including more than £1 billion in policy support. This reflects a clear understanding that ownership diversity drives capital flows and strengthens national economic resilience.

The lesson for Australia is straightforward: when governments recognise co‑operatives as engines of investment, inclusion and resilience, communities lead and investors follow.

A blueprint for a stronger national energy future

The Goulburn project highlights the need for an Australian whole‑of‑economy commitment to co‑operatives and mutuals. Co‑operatives strengthen competition, reduce systemic risk and deliver better outcomes for communities. They bring people together around shared purpose, support local job creation and keep profits close to home.

Goulburn is living proof of the return on this approach. The project is already inspiring other communities and demonstrating that community energy is not a niche pilot but a scalable model for national benefit.

Celebrating an extraordinary achievement

The opening of Australia’s first community‑owned solar farm and battery marks far more than the launch of a renewable energy asset. It represents the power of community determination, the impact of democratic ownership and the potential for co‑operatives to deliver a fairer, more trusted and more participatory clean energy system.

On behalf of the Business Council of Co-operatives and Mutuals, congratulations to every member, volunteer, partner and supporter who made this vision a reality. Your leadership is lighting the way for communities across Australia.

Read About Regional’s article, “Goulburn Co‑operative leads NSW with community clean energy project”.