Community groups that have received support from Pacific Hydro, including Ararat City Band, Pomonal CFA and the Ararat Woodies Club, attended ceremony in Crowlands Hall.

Pacific Hydro new business general manager Rachel Watson said they had weighed up the cost of holding the ceremony at the future site of the wind farm and decided the money could be better spent.

“When we were planning this event, our first through was to have a traditional ceremony out in the hills on the ridge-lines where the wind farm was going to be built,” she said.

“When we found out how much it would cost to hire all the equipment out there, we thought there was something better we could do with that money.

“So instead, we relocated the event to the hall and are donating a photo-voltaic and battery to the hall.”

The solar power and battery storage system was worth $18,000.

14 prominent organisations in Melbourne will purchase electricity from Crowlands when the wind farm is completed, including, Melbourne City, Port Phillip, Moreland and Yarra councils, the University of Melbourne, RMIT, Federation Square, Zoos Victoria, National Australia Bank and Australia Post.

Representatives from each of the participants in the ‘Melbourne Renewable Energy Project’ were presented with hard hats and high-visibility vests embroidered by Ararat disability group Pinnacle.

Melbourne Acting Lord Mayor Arron Wood said the Crowlands Wind Farm’s legacy would be the spread of the Melbourne Renewable Energy Project model to other wind and solar projects across Australia.

“I’m a Mildura boy. The reason that I kicked off this project was for self interest. I wanted to see a big capital city use its relative prosperity to drive regional investment and jobs,” he said.

The Crowlands Wind Farm project will now consist of 39 turbines that will produce energy equivalent to the yearly needs of around 50,000 Victorian homes.

Pacific Hydro’s Challicum Hills Wind Farm is located 40km to the south.

Pacific Hydro expected to complete the Crowlands Wind Farm by early 2019.