Yinnar Solar Footpath Outdoor Street Lighting

“Community-led projects like this really demonstrate the benefits of transitioning to renewable energy, not only for the community but also in building a sustainable energy future for us all” – Hon. Lily D’Ambrosio.

For more than ten years, the community had identified lighting the 1km path from the town’s center to their recreation reserve as a high priority project.

Safety concerns about people walking home next to a dark country road, particularly in the winter months, had always been a significant concern. However, the outdoor street lighting solution would also allow the community to expand the use of their facilities.

Reticulated lighting was just too expensive and needed to be installed entirely with various cables, whereas smart street lights offered a cheaper, more flexible, and more environmentally friendly solution in which poles could be installed individually as funding became available.

The community association raised an impressive $20,000 for the outdoor street lighting and was supported by the Latrobe City Council who contributed a further $20,000. The Latrobe Valley Authority granted a Community and Facility Fund worth $120,000 to complete the project in a single install.