Not-for-profit aged care and service provider BaptistCare has signed a Power Purchase Agreement for its Western Australia homes with renewable energy retailer Alinta Energy. It is the second PPA for the large Christian-based provider.
The agreement follows the positive impact seen from its partnership with Flow Power in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory, said BaptistCare chief executive officer Charles Moore, and will be central to the organisation’s goal of reaching net zero by 2050.
“Our WA PPA will purchase around 4GWh each year and see us reduce our scope 2 carbon footprint in WA by nearly 100 per cent through the procurement of large-scale generation certificates from the Yandin Wind Farm,” Mr Moore said.
Alinta Energy executive director of retail markets Chris Campbell added that the partnership serves as a “great example” of how they can support organisations like BaptistCare to access more affordable energy and play a role in helping care providers work towards their sustainability goals without compromising on care.
“We’re really proud to partner with BaptistCare and support them as part of their consideration of renewable energy solutions,” he said.
Meanwhile, in South Australia, residents of for-profit Living Choice Flagstaff Hill retirement village will also be benefiting from cleaner, more cost-effective and more reliable energy solutions following the installation of a new battery energy storage system.
Living Choice partnered with independent utility solutions provider Active Utilities for the project, who in turn engaged YES Group to install the batteries.
The BESS system – which features two Sungrow batteries with a combined capacity of 330kW/916kWh – is now fully integrated into the village’s local energy network and will provide power during peak demand periods. It will also export excess energy to the grid.
More batteries are being installed across Living Choice retirement villages in South Australia and others are expected to be commissioned within a year.
Active Utilities chief executive officer Lisa Dowie said the Flagstaff Hill installation marks an important step in delivering smarter and more community-focused energy solutions.
“We’re proud of our ongoing partnership with Living Choice Australia, as we roll out seven batteries across three sites in SA by March 2026. This collaboration reflects our shared commitment to delivering lasting value to residents and is a great demonstration of how battery storage can enhance the efficiency and reliability of local energy networks. We are in discussions with other retirement living operators, and we hope to be able to announce more in the coming months,” Ms Dowie told AAA.
“We are driven by creating cost-effective, intelligent, and sustainable solutions to build strong, connected communities and battery storage is a key component,” she said.
The batteries are connected to the Hydro Tasmania Virtual Power Plant, managed by Momentum Energy, and the site is part of a larger project being coordinated by Momentum Energy, on behalf of Hydro Tasmania.
The project received funding from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency through the Community Battery Round 1 initiative, which is part of ARENA’s Advancing Renewables Program.
This article was originally published in Community Care Review.
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