In our new series on Australian renewable projects, we visit a suburb where an investment scheme makes solar energy accessible to those who need it most

In Darebin in Melbourne’s northern suburbs, solar installations have spread rapidly through the area’s low-income households.

“We call it the ‘nonna effect’,” says Trent McCarthy, a Greens councillor in Darebin. “The nonna in the street has her solar on her roof. She’s very proud, she tells all of her friends. It’s social marketing 101.”

A 102-year-old man put solar on his roof because he understood that the benefits lasted way beyond his lifespan

Related: Renewables roadshow: how Daylesford’s community-owned windfarm took back the power

Continue reading…