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  • Climate Action

Borroloola’s solar microgrid

We sat down for a Q&A with Scott McDinny, a young Yanyuwa/Garrawa leader from Borroloola. He is the Chairperson of Ngardara Cooperative, and is currently studying in the fields of construction and renewable energy and coordinates the solar microgrid project development with Original Power.

What is the community of Borroloola like, and what do people love about being there?

    Borroloola is a remote community in the NT’s Gulf of Carpentaria. It is the ancestral home to four connected Aboriginal language groups, the Mara, Yanyuwa, Garrawa and Gudanji people. It’s got lots of freshwater and crystal-clear saltwater and islands with healthy populations of dugongs and marine animals. It’s where I grew up and where we learned the importance of our history, our Country and how to look after it. Being on Yanyuwa Country gives me a sense of peace and belonging that can’t be found anywhere else.

    What has access to power been like for families in Borroloola, and what does that mean in everyday life?

      Our town is run off a diesel generator, which means power is expensive and hard to truck in, often during the flood seasons. Like the majority of remote communities in the NT, Borroloola households access power through a powercard system which cuts out when credit expires, leaving the house without essential energy.

      Keeping families connected to power has been a major driver of this project from the start. We wanted to make sure that no one went without power, especially during really hot weather like we have here. The impacts of power loss are widely felt across Borroloola, from kids not getting a good night’s sleep because it’s too hot, to the loss of food and medicines, no heating in the cold weather, and no air conditioning or fans during the hot times. Powercards mean access to energy is precarious, and we want to change that for our community to show there is a better way to live.

      Can you give me the bigger picture of energy across homelands and remote communities?

        Not having access to affordable energy means many families can’t afford to live on Country, and instead live in overcrowded conditions in town. People’s health is impacted, and going to school or work is disrupted because households regularly run out of power. Chasing money for powercard top-ups is a weekly part of life, and means we don’t have money to spend on other essentials like food or schooling.

        Where did the idea for Ngardara come from, what is the plan, and where is the project up to?

          The Ngardara project started as an idea from many of us in the community who had spent many years trying to stop to encroachment of dangerous gas fracking plans across our Country. We knew that alternatives existed through more sustainable renewable energy that could make power more affordable for families and better for the climate. We talked about it and decided that if the NT Government wasn’t going to support us to develop renewable energy here, we would have to do it ourselves. We wanted to prove that it was possible for other communities too. So we started work on a pre-feasibility study with project partners Original Power, who have been working with us ever since to co-design and develop this project and take it through to financial close and construction in early 2027.

          What difference will Ngardara being community-owned make?

          It was very important to us that the Ngardara solar microgrid was community-owned because it meant that we make the decisions about the project, how it will work and benefit the community, and make sure we keep those benefits local. 

            We’ve been able to create our own training programs and workforce development to keep as many jobs local as possible, investing in the future of our people with skilled trades. We can also ensure that revenue generated from the microgrid is reinvested back into the community in the form of household ‘solar credits’ on meters, cutting disconnections and improving affordability. We see the project as setting us up for the future, with clean and cheap energy powering our community’s development and showing how Aboriginal people can lead the transition to community-owned energy.

            Imagine we come back in five or ten years and Ngardara has achieved what the community hopes. What would we see?

              In 5-10 years, you would see Ngardara operating at its full potential, with a Board governed by a highly skilled set of community leaders across the four clan groups. We would be owners and operators of the microgrid, ensuring it delivers a majority of the town’s energy supply with clean solar and battery storage each and every day.

              The community would be energy secure, no more disconnections, no more trucking in diesel, and our workforce would have expanded with a strong local skill base across many trades. Families would be better off, health and wellbeing will have improved because we have more control of our essential services. Our members would travel regularly to share the lessons of our experience and work with other communities to support them in their own clean energy journeys.

              What is the role of Original Power in this work?

                Original Power has been a solid partner, cheerleader, advisor and mentor in this project. We’ve worked together for over five years now on the project’s development journey from early stage idea through to grid-connection, with an investment and shovel-ready project that we’re really proud of. While it’s been difficult to navigate all of the challenges of being the first community-owned project of this scale in the NT, and even in Australia, they’ve been there to help and guide us along the way and support us to make decisions in the best interests of the whole community to secure our energy future. It’s hard to see how we could have built the project to where it is today without their partnership.

                How can people support this project and the work of Original Power? 

                  We need to make sure the NT Government recognises the value of these sorts of community energy projects, and recognise the savings for both our community and government utilities and retailers. While we wait for their final decision, we need all eyes on this project helping tell the story of the important potential of Australia’s first Aboriginal-owned utility-scale microgrid. 

                  Anyone can support our efforts by offering time, skills, or funding towards Ngardara Cooperative to make sure we get this project across the line and can assist other communities in having an easier pathway to more affordable clean energy and a better future.

                  You can learn more about the project and support this work through Original Power.

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                  impact report
                  surfers for climate

                  Other SFC highlights in 2024 include the scaling up of the Trade Up program, which helps surf-loving tradespeople promote climate-positive behaviours at work, the launch of the inaugural Water Women Campout, an annual wellbeing weekend for women, alongside Blue Minds, a mental health program to address eco-anxiety amongst youth and empower them to act.

                  In 2024, SFC expanded its audience and the reach of its positive climate action message by hosting 26 community events, meeting with over 100 politicians and decision-makers, increasing its Australian media presence, and growing its collective social media follower base to over 50,000.

                  surfers for climate
                  Dusseldorp Story Highlight
                  • Climate Action

                  Surfers for Climate’s Party Wave of Climate Action

                  Dusseldorp Forum is partnering with climate organisations that are working in smart ways to engage more Australians in climate solutions. We’ve formed a three-year partnership with Surfers for Climate, who are mobilising surfers and ocean lovers to play a powerful role in the climate movement.
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