Council has provided an update on the implementation of its Renewable Energy Action Plan (REAP), which was adopted in June 2020.

Installing solar arrays at council facilities is one of the key projects the REAP identified, and substantial progress has been made.

By the end of 2021, council had installed 657 kilowatts of solar across 16 of its facilities.

Solar panels were recently installed in two stages at the rail museum. Stage one, a 22.5kW system with 27kWh battery storage, was installed in June and a further 16.4kW installation was added in December.

The Bathurst Waste Management Centre's 46.8kW solar system was also installed in December.

Council also plans to install solar at the wastewater treatment plant, the largest consumer of electricity in its portfolio, accounting for approximately 30 per cent of total electricity consumption.

Council has identified a location at 193 Morrisset Street and engaged consultants to help with the design. The next step is to prepare tender documentation for construction of the system.

Council is also working on transitioning its fleet to electric vehicles and having more charging points around the city.

But it is the fleet that will make it hard for council to reach 100 per cent consumption through renewables.

Last week, councillor Marg Hogan asked how council might reach this target, prompting director Neil Southorn to explain the challenges.

"There are incremental increases in the adoption of renewables, but the biggest challenge will be council's fleet, to covert the fleet - large numbers of heavy vehicles and light vehicles - to full electric," he said.

"The technology is available, but transitioning Bathurst Regional Council to that will need to be planned over a period of time."

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