The short-listed proposals are:

Adelaide Solar Citizens
Alice Springs – Australia’s Solar Centre
Blacktown Solar City
Brighter Future – Sydney Olympic Park / Auburn Solar City
Central Victorian Solar Cities Project
Coburg Solar City
Kalgoorlie-Boulder Solar Cities Project
Perth Solar City
Solar Cities Adelaide
Solar Newcastle
Townsville: Queensland Solar City
Each short-listed consortium will now receive $50,000 to help them prepare a detailed business case, which will be assessed by an expert panel before a final decision is made next year about the location of Australia’s Solar Cities.

Senator Campbell said the short-listed consortia were keen to help communities explore alternative energy solutions that will better meet peoples’ energy needs.

“This is an exciting new programme that encourages the use of solar panels, smart meters and energy efficient options along with a new approach to electricity pricing,” he said.

“It will reward ‘energy wise’ consumers, encourage business to test new sustainable energy options, and enable data to be collected on the environmental and economic costs of the initiative to help inform future energy and greenhouse policy.”

Mr Macfarlane said at least four of the 11 short-listed submissions would be selected to host Solar Cities. One of these will be from Adelaide, as announced by the Prime Minister earlier this year.

“The short-listed proposals were selected from a total of 23 submissions throughout Australia, representing most states and the Northern Territory. Australia has really embraced the Solar Cities concept and is on track to produce its first ‘energy-wise’ communities,” he said.

The $75 million Solar Cities programme, announced in last year’s Energy White Paper, is part of the Australian Government’s $1.8 billion climate change strategy which aims to help build an effective global response to climate change, encourage domestic action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and prepare industries and communities for the impacts of climate change.