President’s report 2014 Dear REpower Shoalhaven members,

1. President’s report 2014 Dear REpower Shoalhaven members, It's been an unbelievable first year for REpower Shoalhaven! In our first 12 months, we have formed a grassroots organisation entirely from scratch, with over 100 members being a part of our journey, and over 200 on our mailing list. That alone is an achievement! Along the way we have delivered our first community energy project in Kangaroo Valley, we have developed a community solar investment model which is fully ready for application, we have created some engaging events which have been embraced by the community, and we have successfully raised approximately $20,000 in sponsorship, both in cash and in-kind to ensure we can invest in setting our community energy enterprise! All of these achievements have come from the dedication and commitment of a core team of volunteers. I would personally like to thank all the members, particularly the regular meeting attendees and committee members for their commitment to this fledgling association. Without your hard work and support this organisation would not exist. Our team have been fuelled by the energy we receive from the community, who have warmly embraced our vision and jumped on as members or attended our events. We know, from the support we receive, that we are creating something special for our local community! REpower Shoalhaven is very well placed to have a successful 2014/15. There will be many opportunities to directly implement the community solar investment model that we have worked hard developing. These opportunities, if grasped, will ensure that we thoroughly meet our objectives as an organisation over the coming year. They also provide us with the opportunity to transition our organisation to one that is more financially sustainable. This success and growth creates its own set of challenges, and regardless of the direction we choose to take, we need to ensure that members remain motivated to contribute and participate in decision making and that the wants and needs of the community remain paramount. Thank you all members for an inspiring first 12 months, Chris Cooper President, RepowerShoalhaven

2. President’s State of the Renew-nion AGM July 2014 Chris Cooper

3. Community engagement successes >100 members 200+ on our mailing list Launch event : May 2013. 170 attendees New Energy Showcase event, Nov 2013: 80 attendees Movie Night fundraiser: 180 attendees Solar Celebration – Kangaroo Valley. 5 or so newsletters Website and facebook page created and maintained Market stall established A number of articles in local paper, community radio 32 donors in pilot project in Kangaroo Valley Well done to Angela, Jess, Cathy Gorman, Linda and all others who helped for these achievements!

4. Fundraising successes $10,000 OEH Sponsorship $3,500 raised at movie night $1600 raised through member fees $1200 OEH community energy congress fundraising $12,000 for legal work (philanthropic funding) 50% discount for all our accounting work (saving of $1500 to date) Lot’s of in-kind donations : Silos Estate, Crooked River, Two figs, BooBook, South Coast Dairy, Unicorn Cheese, Richard Morecroft. Well done to Jess, Jan and our amazing treasurer Lis for an amazing year of fundraising.

5. Technical and feasibility successes • 9kW Pilot project successfully installed in KV Well done to Mike for pro-bono design and installation! • Community solar risk management strategy draft near complete • Good relationships with solar developer formed • Robust, fully costed, project financial model has been built

6. Business model and coordination successes Coordination • Dropbox, mailing lists • Working groups+ committee formed Well done to all committee members!!! Business model • Project business model refined and selected to suit our groups needs • Legal documents writtenand ready • Accounting preparation is complete • Lawyers and accountants happy to assist with all our queries • Retail electricity exemption has been granted to allow sale of solar electricity • Informal partnership formed with Pingala (Sydney) and Blue Mountains Renewable Energy Cooperative, to share business model resourcees Business development • Negotiations with first project in final stages • Leads on other projects being chase up

7. Opportunities for 2014/15 Community solar investment model • Pursue further opportunities with medium sized local businesses and organisations • Project Size: 20kW+ • Project model: PPA or leasing Other opportunities • Bundled small business projects with community financing • 2 to 20kW • Lease to own • Bundled household projects with community financing • i.e. 2kW • Lease to own • Added possibilities: Bulk buy, information provision, repay via rates.

8. Opportunities for 2014/15 Other opportunities • Donation-based community solar program for community groups (i.e. CORENA, or Kangaroo Valley) • Establish a commissions network • Independent consulting and advice • Community information provision • Energy themed events

9. Challenges for 2014/15 Creating high-quality community solar projects Growing membership and investor base Increasing depth of our personnel Growing our organisation to financial sustainability • Challenging transition from volunteer model to employee/volunteer model • Growth planning is required – needs to be participatory AND well informed • Investing our money wisely to accommodate growth • Need to keep trust with the community as we grow • REpower Shoalhaven “visioning day” is part of this Taking photos

10. In summary… A great group of peopleand a great first year. Well done to all involved, let’s keep it up 2014/15 is looking exciting, but not without challenges We are well positioned to create something really special. We can be a key driver of the energy transformation in our local area!