Northern Beaches businesses are being urged to join a new Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) approved by the Northern Beaches Council designed to help those businesses reduce their emissions and cut their spending on energy.
A renewable electricity PPA is a contractual agreement between energy buyers and sellers which directly benefits participating local businesses by reducing their carbon emissions and scaling up their buying power. For local businesses, a PPA is cheaper, more efficient, and less complex than going it alone.
Northern Beaches Mayor Michael Regan said there had already been strong interest from local businesses in being involved in the PPA.
“Local businesses are part of a progressive community that cares deeply about the environment,” Mayor Regan said. “We are proud to work with energy providers to help local businesses to offset their emissions and reduce their electricity bills.
“Our recent webinar was well attended with over 40 organisations joining the discussion,” Mayor Regan added. “By popular demand, a second webinar will be held in May to explain how the PPA works and what benefits it can bring to local businesses.”
There are more than 32,700 businesses across the Northern Beaches and it is estimated that their emissions account for 37 per cent of the Northern Beaches community’s overall carbon emissions. More than 70 per cent of these emissions are from electricity.
The PPA is suitable for businesses with high electricity usage (over 100MWh/Year) or an approximate energy spend of more than $32,000, but smaller businesses are also invited to register their interest.
The council has appointed Business Green Energy to broker a 100 per cent renewable electricity PPA with the local businesses. For its part, the council has its own PPA is with Iberdrola, which owns the Bodangora Wind Farm in regional NSW where offsets are sourced.
“Northern Beaches Council is leading by example with our PPA, but we are keen to support the community in our commitment to achieving net zero in 2050, and this Business PPA is one tool to help achieve that goal,” Mayor Regan concluded.
