Solar project launched at Eaglehawk Badminton and Table Tennis Stadium

The system will mean the club saves about $3000 a year, or one third of its annual power bill.

Bendigo Sustainability Group say it could be the first of many sporting clubs in the area to save money from solar, through community investment models.

Read more: Solar farm to lead Newstead's 100 percent renewable push

Bendigo and District Table Tennis Association president Gary Warnest described it as the "gift that keeps on giving", saving money well into the future.

The money saved will translate to lower fees for members, which Mr Warnest hopes this means that more members stay, and more people can join.

"It's really good for the work that Bendigo table tennis and badminton do, keeping people active," he said.

"It takes a little bit of pressure off having to increase fees, which should translate to better and increased membership, and holding on to people because there's not so much financial pressure.

"There's so much financial pressure in the wider community for the increased cost of living, they don't need extra costs for them to participate in sport."

But what Mr Warnest is really excited about is the fact that the community pulled together to donate panels.

There were some big donations made, and some small. Some families even pulled together to pay for a panel if they couldn't afford the whole cost alone.

The project to install solar systems on the club was initiated and run by Bendigo Sustainability Group.

Member Chris Corr flagged the possibility that other sporting stadiums around Bendigo could also benefit from investment models.

"We're working closely with council, and we would love all our sporting stadiums and footy clubs and everything to have solar," he said

"They usually don't have much money, so we've got community investment models coming very very soon where other members of the community will be able to invest in and pay for those solar systems and then the benefits will be shared between the investors who will get their money back and return, and those stadiums.

"Say over a 10 year period those systems will be gifted to those local stadiums, and they'll get all the benefit they're after."

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