Co-founder of Nimbin’s Rainbow Power Company, Dave C, was a trailblazer in the 1980s. He and his business partners followed the sun, wind and water into creating a business that made renewable energy a real option for local people, and grew their business into one that now services the globe.

It was April 1985 and Dave C was sitting around at Blue Knob with Peter Van Wyck (aka Peter Pedals) and Jack Von Hest and they all talked about wanting to get off the dole.

Peter said he wanted to start an alternative power company and Jack already had a name and logo in mind.

Dave thought it was a great idea - and so the Rainbow Power Company was born in Nimbin.

“We wanted to benefit the planet at the same time,” Dave said. “Renewable energy ticked all the boxes.

“Our primary objective was turning the tide away from environmental destruction and towards environmental harmony.

“I’d come from the UK where I’d worked with battery powered forklifts, so I had some experience, but I’d never touched a solar panel until I met Peter Pedals.”

With Peter’s knowledge of alternative energy sources, and the trio’s passion for making the planet a better place, the three men pooled their money together and got on with it.

“We each had $30 and so with $90, we went into Lismore and bought things we could sell at the markets to make more money,” Dave said.

They bought tarps and rope and rechargeable torches and lights and set up at local markets in Nimbin and the Channon.

“We made $150 at our first market and went on doing that for a few years, buying more stock and putting the money we made back into making our business,” Dave said.

Then they held a town meeting in Nimbin and with the support of others, they went ahead with their plans to build a business focussing on alternative energy sources.

 “We had the idea to build a manufacturing factory at Tuntable falls, so we set up at Paradise Valley, manufacturing regulators and solar panels.

“We made a better version of the rechargeable torch, but we were eventually priced out by Chinese companies.

“Eventually, we opened a shop in Nimbin (where the Nimbin apocathary now is) and later we moved into the Trattoria building.”

Incorporation

Then in 1987, the company incorporated, becoming an unlisted public company.

“We bought an off the shelf company, Yorkwind, and started trading as Rainbow Power Company Ltd,” he said. 

“We eventually built the building we are now in on Alternative Way in Nimbin in 1992 and moved all the workers into one place.

“Peter Garrett opened the new shop - I remember picking him up at the airport.

“There were eight other solar companies in existence in Australia at the time.

“Solar was more expensive back then.

“It cost about $10 per watt, now it’s 50 cents a watt - it’s more affordable for everyone now.

“We were doing well, then the government pulled the plug on the power assistance scheme grant which have grants to eligible people for solar systems.

“Then our takings went down.”

Some of the people involved in the early days of the Rainbow Power Company.

Alternative Power

Dave said about 15 years ago, there was a national drive toward solar.

“Things changed and solar set-up prices came down,” he said.

“Australia should be a powerhouse when it comes to solar - if we had a solar array 75 miles by 75 miles, we could power the world.

“People are becoming more conscious about the damage we are doing to the planet. 

“The current bushfire crisis is making people realise things are getting warmer. Nimbin’s rainforest never burned before, now it’s on fire.

“More awareness means more people are crying out for change.

And so, the take up of solar power and using the sun’s energy to make electricity grew.

“Once we’ve had the conveniences of turning lights on in our houses, we don’t want to see that go,” he said.

“These days, a lot of people in town get solar and feed the power back into the electricity grid. 

“They use a grid-tie inverter that converts direct current (DC) into an alternating current (AC) suitable for injecting into an electrical power grid. 

“Inverters didn’t do that when we first started.”

Dave checks out one of the solar system cabinets in the workshop.

What does a solar system need?

Dave said these days, most of their business is selling to people who want to have a solar set up which is not connected to the electricity grid.

“One of the things we manufacture is a solar systems where the battery, inverter and regulator is contained in a waterproof cabinet which can be delivered to the site.

“The regulator makes sure the solar panels don’t overload and the batteries are to store the generated electricity.

“A stand alone system can cost 25-30K. They change as they get cheaper.

“People have different requirements for their set ups and we manufacture what they need and lots of people cobble their own stuff together.”

The company

These days, Dave is the purchasing officer for the Rainbow Power Company.

The company now has 30 employees – including people to handle IT, OHS, manufacturing, finances, head electricians and packers for shipping. And there’s also the company board of five members.

“We ship all over the world – to places like the Pacific, Fiji and Vanuatu,” Dave said.

“The sea is lapping at their feet and there is no electricity grid there.

“Our company had no structure for years - it was chaotic in the early days.

“We needed to make changes to the company to meet legal guidelines and OHS legislations, but our core values were always the same - we wanted to employ local people and pay wages into our local community.

Dave takes a walk down memory lane as he looks at one of the old hydroelectric systems in the workshop.

Hydro

Rainbow Power Company also experimented with hydroelectric power generation in the early days.

“We experimented with the mechanical side of creating a turbine - where the water source is piped into it and spins a wheel that turns the generator.

“It evolved from being a concrete mould prototype into a boxed aluminium device. 

“But, eventually, it took too long to speed up the manufacturing process and keep it affordable.

“Also, lack of water is an issue now, but years ago, we had plenty of water.”

Moving to Nimbin 

Before he came to Australia in the 1980s, Dave was living in the UK and one day, he saw a Grass Roots magazine that talked about Nimbin and the work of Peter Pedals.

“My father’s dream was to come to Australia,” Dave said. “Peter Pedals was my inspiration to go to Nimbin when I read the article about him.

“A friend showed me the magazine and said I think I’ve found a place to live - and I thought I’d like to look there.

“Peter was already living an alternative way of life - he ate raw food and made porridge out of bird seed. He created devices that could be powered by pedalling and powered juicers and washing machines with it.

“He even cycled from Sydney to Adelaide and was featured in an in-flight magazine.”

So, when dave arrived on the plane in Brisbane airport, he decided to check out Nimbin.

He found a property at Webster’s Creek, at Blue Knob and built himself a cabin.

“I was a builder as well and I built my cabin from scratch - it didn’t leak,” he said.

When he moved into his shack, he bought a 12 volt solar panel and battery. 

“It’s easy when you know what you are doing,” Dave said. 

“Eventually I got a bigger solar system and ran a small fridge which was economical to run, made with brine in the walls.

“I was able to run lights at night time so I could see and not step on a snake. Eventually I had a 10 inch black and white TV too.

“I used to have a fear of spiders, but I got over it - and I got used to having lizards running around.”

Dave also joined the Rural Fire Service and was an active volunteer for 20 years.

The future

Now, 32 years on from when the company was first incorporated, Dave sees a strong future for the Rainbow Power Company.

“I’m due to retire in a few years,” Dave said.

“Jack is alive and well and living in Tamworth and Peter Pedals left the company about four years ago - but he’s still potting around."

With a climate that is warming and growing public awareness about the need to move away from fossil fuels, the future looks bright for a company that looks to the sun for solutions.

For more information about the Rainbow Power Company, visit https://www.rpc.com.au/