The community solar park is a key plank in central Victoria’s $41 million Solar Cities project, which has been allocated $15 million in Federal Government funding.

Federal Member for Bendigo Steve Gibbons, Central Victoria Solar City project director Michael McCartney, Sustainability Victoria’s Ken Guthrie and Origin’s emerging customer solutions manager Dominic Drenen will take part in the ceremony to launch construction of the much-anticipated solar park.

Mr Gibbons will wave a flag symbolising the beginning of the construction phase as a construction worker uses a backhoe to turn the first sod, and a demonstration of solar panels similar to those to be installed will then be revealed.

Another community solar park has been planned for Ballarat as part of the Solar Cities project.

The $41 million Central Victoria Solar City project is funded by the Australian Government through the Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, the Central Victoria Solar City Consortium and other supporting organisations. Consortium members include Central Victorian Greenhouse Alliance, Bendigo Bank, Origin, Powercor Australia and ZC02e (ZedCo), the commercial entity set up by CVGA to manage the project.

The Victorian Government, through Sustainability Victoria and the Sustainability Fund, is also a key funding contributor, while 14 local councils in central Victoria support the project.