History - Renew

Renew runs another successful Sustainable House Day with both online and in person events.

Our Members’ Branches are made up of committed and passionate volunteers who offer their expertise, time and energy to facilitate events, participate in research projects, and help drive our mission and goals. This year they held 33 events and reached over 2,000 people

This year Sustainable House Day expanded into a month-long event, featuring four themed weeks of webinars with experts and homeowners as well as an all-day program of free online events on October 17

Renew delivered the second stage of our industry-leading Distributed Energy Resource (DER) Enablement project.

The Green Rebuild Toolkit was developed in response to the bushfires and aims to help people rebuild their homes and increase resistance to future climate disasters.

Our Members’ Branches are made up of committed and passionate volunteers who offer their expertise, time and energy to facilitate events, participate in research projects, and help drive our mission and goals. This year they held 38 events, reaching 5,000 people.

Renew pivots Sustainable House Day to run as an entirely online event.

Renew delivered the first stage of our industry-leading Distributed Energy Resource (DER) Enablement project.

Sanctuary magazine publishes its 50th issue.

Renew magazine publishes its 150th issue.

Renew's Climate Resilient Homes campaign works with our partners to build a national coalition of over 65 organisations advocating for better home energy performance.

Renew's Sustainable House Day surpasses past events with 44,560 visits to 252 open homes across Australia.

Renew secures a place on the National Construction Code energy efficiency working group, bringing a dedicated consumer voice to the process for the first time.

Renew wins Sustainability Victoria's Premier's Sustainability Award in the Community category for work on the Z-NET Hepburn project.

Renew's 2018 Sustainable House Day is the biggest event yet, with 33,024 visits at 226 homes open across Australia.

The Alternative Technology Association rebrands to become Renew

2017 – 2016

ATA wins awards from the UNAA for Climate Change Leadership and Climate Education and Engagement and the Green Globe award for Climate Change Leadership from the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage

Renew organises its second Sustainable House day on its own, with an attendance of 29,049 at 206 open homes across Australia.

Sustainable House Day on September 17 attracts a record 29,000 people to 202 homes across Australia

ATA key organiser of the second Community Energy Congress, attended by over 600 people in Melbourne as well as holding Sunulator training workshop and Speed Date a Sustainability sessions at the conference

Sunulator plays a key part in a groundbreaking community solar investment model in Geelong

ATA publishes a comprehensive analysis of the Finkel Review into the future security of the national electricity market

Light up Quelicai campaign results in 108 homes receiving solar-powered lighting in Quelicai, Baucau district of East Timor

ATA publishes key reports:
Solar Sizing: Bigger is Better
DC isolators and solar system fires
Life after Feed-in Tariffs
Feasibility of a 100% renewable electricity grid

Renew takes on organising Sustainable House Day across Australia. The day was a success, with 17,287 people attending 154 open homes across Australia.

Electric vehicle expos held in Melbourne and Toowoomba organised by local ATA branches, with more than 4000 attending and ABC TV coverage of the Melbourne event

ATA wins the United Nations Association of Australia’s (UNAA) World Environment Day Clean Energy Award for work in East Timor

ATA, now the sole organiser of Sustainable House Day, officially launched the 2016 event with Environment Minister Josh Frydenberg. 17,000 people attend nationally, viewing 154 homes on September 11, 2016.

ATA in a joint project for a 139-panel solar system at the Kurrawang Indigenous community near Kalgoorlie WA using “impact investment” funding

ATA completes program of solar-powered lighting installations in East Timor from Google Impact funding, having installed 607 solar systems in 12 villages in two years with Timorese partners

ATA jointly organises the second High Life Expo in Melbourne to improve sustainability in apartment blocks

Speed Date a Sustainability Expert held at 10 venues, including at the New Joneses sustainable display home in Melbourne’s city square, Shepparton and at Ku-ring-gai in northern Sydney

Goodbye Gas and Green Heating brochures encourage people to help the environment and save money by using efficient electric appliances instead of gas
Pears Report and Best Green Homes NSW/ACT e-books

2015 - 2011

ATA’s membership reaches 6,000 people

ATA is the joint national organiser of Sustainable House Day
ATA publishes an e-book series with Green Home Heating, Green Home Cooling, Off-grid Homes, Solar Caravans and Eco Camping and Healthy Homes e-books

Sunulator plays an important role in the economic feasibility stage of Australia’s first community-owned solar farm at Tathra, NSW
Sunulator developed to include battery analysis

ATA volunteers install an off-grid solar system at an Indigenous ranger station in far-north Queensland in a pilot project with the Centre for Appropriate Technology

ATA forms a partnership with The People’s Solar to enable tax-deductible donations to support solar projects in the community

Speed Date a Sustainability Expert held in Perth, Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane, as well as a series of Speed Dates for local councils in Melbourne’s west
New ATA report on solar with battery storage finds grid-connected batteries likely to be economically attractive by 2020
Third Melbourne Electric Vehicle Expo

Sunulator solar feasibility online calculator launched
ATA receives a Google Impact Challenge grant of $250,000 for solar-powered lighting work in East Timor
Are We Still Cooking with Gas? report looks at the economics of efficient electric versus gas appliances

ATA publishes updated Efficient Hot Water and Solar Electricity booklets
What Happens When We Unplug? report finds regional towns and new housing estates could function off the electricity grid

ATA helps organise Australia’s first Community Energy Congress in Canberra
ATA conducts a review of the economics of water saving technology, the first comprehensive economic review of demand-side water technology ever undertaken

Speed Date a Sustainability Expert held in Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney, as well as bespoke Speed Dates for the City of Glen Eira and Marrickville Council

Second Melbourne Electric Vehicle Expo held at Swinburne University
ATA starts trialing a new paid advice service for members and non-members

Community Climate Chest (C3) launched
New ATA website goes online
New website for Sanctuary magazine

ATA a knowledge partner for LJ Hooker’s Liveability initiative, providing information and answering consumer queries on sustainable homes on the Liveability website

Consumer Guide to Smart Meters developed

Supported by the Consumer Advocacy Panel, the ATA advocates in the national electricity market on behalf of ATA members and other Australian energy consumers

Melbourne Electric Vehicle Expo, organised by ATA’s Melbourne EV Branch, held at Swinburne University’s Hawthorn campus

International Projects Group organises installation of solar-powered lighting and training of technicians in a number of sub-districts in East Timor

ATA forms partnership with Timor Adventures, with participants of tours to Atauro and Baguia helping to install solar-powered lighting in those areas

Three Speed Date a Sustainable Designer events held in Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney

ATA develops the Guide to Reducing Your Energy and Saving Money

The International Projects Group organises the installation of solar PV and solar-powered lighting systems in Remexio, Baguia and Oecussi in East Timor

ATA’s Adelaide Branch co-ordinates the opening of 12 homes on Sustainable House day with AuSES

ATA works with the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage to develop and deliver a training course for prospective site assessors and installers of wind turbines

ATA works with Green Cross Australia to develop the Build it Back Green website

ATA, in conjunction with RMIT University, completes a detailed assessment of the terms and conditions of feed-in tariff offers by all electricity retailers around Australia

ATA the consumer representative on the steering committee of the National Smart Meter Program

ATA appointed by the Victorian Government as the technical advisor for stand-alone power systems as part of the Bushfire Powerline Safety Taskforce

The Tankulator online rainwater harvesting tool launched

20010 – 2006

2010 ATA Melbourne Electric Vehicle Interest Group formed

Sanctuary wins Treehugger’s Best of Green Award

Speed Dating with Sanctuary held at the Royal Exhibition Building in Melbourne

ReNew holds an Open House Day in Castlemaine as part of the State of Design Festival

ATA joins with 10 other groups to form the One Million Homes alliance

2008 Blue Mountains/Central West Branch formed

The International Projects Group’s Village Lighting Scheme launches in East Timor

ATA relaunches Stuart McQuire’s Water Not Down the Drain book

2007 Sydney Branch becomes two groups: Sydney West and Sydney Central

2006 Sunraysia Branch formed

2005 – 2001
Energy projects and the inception of Sanctuary

Sanctuary: modern green homes magazine launched

ATA Energy Smart Home Rating Project

ATA Greenhouse Action Project
ATA Energy Task Force Project
Lance Turner identifies LEDs as lighting of the future in ReNew
ATA Greywater Project

New ATA logo created
ATA Cool Communities Project

2002 Adelaide Branch formed

1996 – 2000
The first ReNew and moving office

00 ATA New Zealand Northland Branch formed

Perth Branch formed

Solar panels installed on the ATA solar workshop
Solar Shuttle sent to schools
Second edition of Stuart McQuire’s Water Not Down the Drain released

ATA/Greenpeace solar shower held during the Victorian gas crisis

First face-to-face meeting of all the interstate ATA branches
ATA moves offices to the Solar Workshop at CERES

Alan Pears’ first column for ReNew 59. Alan outlines some of the ways that the fossil fuel industry manipulates energy markets in their favour. The message is clear—be vigilant, and be vocal about the benefits of renewable energy.

1996 ATA Cairns Branch formed

Soft Technology renamed ReNew: Technology for a Sustainable Future

1995 - 1991
Branching out

1995 ATA Coffs Harbour Branch formed

Solar Shuttle built and starts touring the country

1994 ATA Brisbane Branch formed

1993 ATA Canberra Branch formed

Soft Technology is distributed to newsagents for the first time

The EnergyMobile is constructed and starts touring Australia. This was the ATA’s biggest ever display vehicle. It weighed 7 tonnes, was 10 metres long with numerous energy displays and working solar and wind systems. It had its own bedroom, kitchen and even a washing machine!

1992 Sydney Branch formed

ATA submits to the Senate Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology on Reducing the Impact of the Greenhouse Effect.

First full-colour cover on Soft Technology
ATA membership hits 1000.

1990 – 1986
The ATA moves into advocacy

ATA produces the Build Your Own Green Technology book with the best articles from Soft Technology

ATA produces The Renewable Solution which sets out a renewable energy path for Victoria. The booklet was produced for the Bill Keepin tour of Australia on the greenhouse effect and used for ATA’s submissions to state and federal government inquiries

ATA moves to Ross House
First energy display trailer up and running and tours Australia twice
ATA becomes a member of the Community Energy Network, providing ongoing policy input to the Federal Government

ATA policy framework for Victorian Parliament Natural Resources and Environment Committee on Energy Supply Options for Victoria

ATA receives a $3000 grant to produce the first solar trailer
ATA employs its first staff member to do part-time membership administration
ATA moves offices to the new Friends of the Earth Centre in Brunswick Street, Fitzroy.
Wind generator constructed by SECV at Breamlea, Victoria (see ATA ownership 1995)
First prototype of a model solar car made

Noel Jeffery begins work on an early version of the solar shuttle

Alan Pears and Michael Harris write submission to the MREC inquiry into electricity generation and correct insulation regulations. Many of their recommendations appeared in the final MREC report and helped drive policy, including 1991 insulation regulations.

1985 - 1980
New structure, new publications

ATA produces its first book, Alternative Technology Australia and print 2500 copies of the best content from the first 12 issues of Soft Technology.
ATA starts to run courses on retrofitting, alternative building techniques, solar electric systems, solar greenhouses, DIY wind power and solar hot water. Information kits are produced, some of which evolve into booklets later.
ATA constitution changed to allow for branches

ATA members start building the solar workshop at CERES with the help of a $3000 grant and volunteered labour from Collingwood TAFE stonemason students.
The ATA then starts visiting solar-powered houses.

The Alternative Technology Co-operative restarts with a name changed to Alternative Technology Association and a new structure is introduced. In March the first Sun Newsletter published and by June the first issue of Soft Technology is published.

1979 - 1976
The formative years and ATA Co-operative

Friends of the Earth campaign against uranium. Looking to form a group proactive on green energy and technology, the Alternative Technology Co-operative is born out of a meeting in Carlton. Photo by Chain Reaction.