How a simple idea—lend it, get it back, lend it again—is powering solar, batteries, and EVs for community organisations across the country.
What if the money you donated to climate action never actually ran out?
That’s the question at the heart of a new video interview between Corena committee member Phil Browne and Greg, host of a long-running EV and sustainability YouTube channel. In a wide-ranging chat filmed during a 2,300km EV road trip through Far North Queensland, Phil pulls back the curtain on how Corena’s revolving fund works and why it’s quietly become one of the most efficient tools for community-led emissions reduction in Australia.
Watch the full interview 🎥
It’s a generous, unhurried conversation, so grab a cuppa, because there’s a lot of ground covered.
The bathtub that never empties
CORENA (Citizens’ Own Renewable Energy Network Australia) exists to help everyday Australians tackle the climate emergency by funding tangible, on-the-ground projects: solar, energy efficiency upgrades, electric vehicles and more for the non-profits, schools, community centres and social enterprises that need them most but can least afford them.
The mechanism that makes it possible is the revolving fund, and Phil explains it using a cartoon of a bathtub: donations trickle in through the tap, loans are scooped out in jugfuls to fund projects, and repayments are tipped back in – ready to be lent out again to the next organisation on the list. Because up to 80% of every loan repayment goes straight back into the fund, the same donor dollar can fund project after project after project for years to come.
As Phil puts it in the interview, donors get “more bang for [their] buck” – their contribution isn’t spent once and gone; it keeps working.
The numbers behind the story
The interview lands on a genuinely exciting milestone: in April 2026, CORENA passed $1 million in total donations, and because of the revolving fund, that $1 million has already gone on to fund over $2 million in project loans across 62 community projects nationally, in every state and territory except the Northern Territory (any Territorians watching – we’d love to hear from you!).
Those 62 projects are expected to save participating organisations more than $300,000 every year in energy and fuel costs – money that non-profits can redirect straight back into the services their communities rely on.
Real projects, real impact
Three projects get the spotlight in the video:
- CERES Fair Food (Preston, VIC) — an $83,300 loan funded an electric refrigerated delivery van, expected to save the social enterprise around $7,800 a year in fuel and cut roughly 5 tonnes of CO₂ annually.
- Heyday Supports (Brunswick Heads, NSW) — a dementia care provider that self-funded three EVs received a CORENA loan for solar, battery storage and a high-powered DC charger, saving an estimated $10,590 a year and around 18 tonnes of CO₂.
- Victorian Autism Support Service (Mansfield, VIC) — a 99kW solar system funded through a loan just under $126,000, delivering over $23,000 in annual electricity savings and cutting emissions by roughly 109 tonnes a year.
In every case, loan repayments are calculated so they never exceed the savings the organisation is already making, meaning they’re never worse off during the life of the loan, and once it’s repaid, the full savings flow straight back into their services.
Got a project in mind or know someone who does?
Corena is actively looking for the next round of community organisations to support. If you volunteer for, work with, or simply know of a non-profit, school, community centre or social enterprise that could benefit from an interest-free loan for solar, energy efficiency, EVs or a combination of projects, we’d love to hear from them.
A big thank you to Greg
None of this reaches a wider audience without people willing to give up their time and platform to tell these stories properly. Our thanks go to Greg, host of Electric Car Australia, who has featured Corena on his channel for years and once again gave Phil the time and space to explain the fund in real depth.
Electric Car Australia has built a loyal following around electric vehicles and practical, everyday climate action – over 120 videos and counting – with a particular focus on demystifying EV ownership and road-tripping for everyday Australians. Greg’s down-to-earth, no-hype approach to sustainability content has introduced plenty of new donors and supporters to organisations like Corena over the years, and we’re grateful for the ongoing support.
If you enjoyed the interview, head over and give Electric Car Australia some love too.
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