Each summer, when the temperature rises to 35 degrees and above in towns like Bethanga, Bellbridge and Euroa, the power will simply switch off. 

Many towns across regional Australia are far too familiar with regular and lengthy power outages, especially in extreme weather. 

To be clear, this isn’t because of renewables or even because of ageing coal fired power stations. 

Increasingly, small towns on the edge of the main grid have their power cut because of something called the Rapid Earth Fault Current Limiter. These sensitive devices switch the power line off instantly if a fault is detected to reduce the risk of a bushfire. 

Of course, this is an important safety measure.  

But the effects of a power outage are terrible.  

Businesses are forced to shut, and it’s often the elderly and sick who suffer the most when there is no electricity.   

Successive governments – from both major parties – have neglected these regional townships. They focus more on getting power to the major cities.   

But regional, edge-of-grid towns deserve reliable and secure power supply.  

Microgrids, involving a system of solar, diesel, and battery storage connected to businesses, households and community buildings, can be a solution.  

During extreme weather events a microgrid can separate from the network to supply power.  

We must invest in better energy resilience to ensure our businesses can operate, and we can all stay comfortable, as the climate changes.