Indigo Power launched the Myrtleford Community Battery at the McNamara Reserve last Friday evening during the Myrtleford Saints Community Day, which included a joint junior-senior training session, intra-club match and community activities with special guests including AFL player Tom Campbell and AWFL player Darcy Vescio.

This launch marked the second installation under the organisation’s $4.7 million regional energy resilience project and forms part of a rollout of seven community batteries across regional Victoria and southern New South Wales, supported by a $3.4 million funding commitment from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA).

The Myrtleford installation was identified through a detailed feasibility study across North East Victoria, which assessed sites capable of delivering the greatest community

benefit.

Located at the McNamara Reserve, home to the Myrtleford Alpine Saints Football and Netball Club and the town’s designated relief centre, the project strengthens local energy resilience while supporting the footy club with low-cost renewable energy.

The launch coincided with the Myrtleford Saints Community Day, bringing together the Myrtleford and football communities.

For Indigo Power, it was an opportunity to celebrate both the new renewable energy system and the role local sporting clubs play as hubs for community connection.

The system includes 40 kW of rooftop solar and a 340 kWh battery, enabling the reserve to operate as a resilience hub during power outages while reducing energy costs and emissions.

Indigo Power managing director Ben McGowan said the project highlights how community energy infrastructure can deliver practical benefits for regional towns.

“This battery provides back-up power to Myrtleford’s emergency relief centre, it provides lower cost power to the Myrtleford Football and Netball Club, it shares renewable energy with Indigo Power customers, and its operation is expected to provide a return for community investors,” Mr McGowan said.

“This project shows what’s possible when a community works together.

"Indigo Power is providing the technical know-how and retail backing, the Myrtleford Football & Netball Club will use power from the battery, Alpine Shire Council is providing a lease, and ARENA and our community shareholders are investing in the build.

"Local sporting clubs are always critical to thriving rural communities and it’s great to be able to celebrate the launch of the battery at the club’s season launch.”

The celebrations also included 'Footy for Climate', a movement led by AFL players and the broader football community working to address climate change and protect the future of the game.

Established in 2021, 'Footy for Climate' brings together players, clubs and supporters who recognise extreme weather events - including bushfires, floods, drought and heatwaves - are increasingly impacting communities and the sport itself.

Through community engagement and advocacy, the organisation encourages practical action on climate solutions across grassroots and elite levels of AFL.

'Footy For Climate' CEO, Lex Lynch, said community sporting clubs are uniquely positioned to bring people together around climate solutions.

“Local football clubs are the heartbeat of regional communities and they’re powerful platforms for positive change,” Mr Lynch said.

“Projects like this show how renewable energy can protect the future of community sport while strengthening the resilience of the towns which support it.

"We are just rapt to be here.”

Myrtleford Alpine Saints Football & Netball Club president, Luke Chapman, said the project would provide lasting benefits for the club and the wider community.

“McNamara Reserve is more than a football ground, it’s where the Myrtleford community gathers,” Mr Chapman said.

“Having solar and battery storage here means the club can reduce its energy costs and, importantly, support the town during emergencies when this site is used as a relief centre.”

Charlotte Eddy, general manager strategy and regulation at AusNet, said the project highlights the benefits of collaboration across the energy sector.

“Congratulations to everyone involved in this project...an excellent example of what can be achieved through collective effort," she said.

"We’re proud this community battery is among the first to use our new streamlined connection process for government funded batteries and we look forward to connecting many more like it in the months and years ahead.”

Community batteries remain an emerging technology in Australia, and Indigo Power’s regional rollout is expected to generate valuable insights into how local energy storage can support communities, electricity networks and the transition to renewable energy.

The Myrtleford Community Battery is the second installation completed under the ARENA-supported Community Batteries for Energy Resilience Project, with further

sites planned across the region.