Against a backdrop of chaos on national energy policy, Adrian Merrick’s clean energy focused startup Energy Locals is expanding across the country.

The former head of Energy Australia’s retail arm has raised $2 million for his membership-based, clean-energy startup. Biomass-fired power plant operator Cape Byron has stepped up as an investor and will sell clean energy to Energy Locals customers in NSW.

Energy Locals chief executive Adrian Merrick.

“A director of Cape Byron was a customer of ours from day one. They knew us, and they liked what we were doing,” Merrick says.

Energy Locals was launched in 2016 and now has about 6000 users. Customers switch to the retailer, pay a $4.50 a week membership fee, and the startup sources clean energy at the best available wholesale power price in return.