Image: Monash University
The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) recently announced that it will be partnering with Monash University and Indra Australia to trial a microgrid on the University’s Clayton Campus. This project will see the campus powered by renewable energy.
This pilot project will test how the microgrid setup will work across the campus in Melbourne’s south east.
The microgrid will be operated as a grid-connected network with a variety of distributed energy resources (DER) including up to one megawatt of rooftop solar, 20 buildings with automated energy management systems, one megawatt of battery storage and electric vehicle charging stations.
The project, which will cost $7.1 million, will enable the University to demonstrate how a 100% renewable energy system can operate in a reliable and economical way. Not only providing value to the consumers, but also by reducing strain on the energy network.
The campus will become a “living laboratory” with learnings from this project to help with future wider applications of DER and renewable energy resources.
This project is part of Monash’s Net Zero initiative. This initiative aims to see the University sourcing 100% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030.
Program Director Scott Ferraro said: “The microgrid will enable us to demonstrate how smart control of our distributed energy resources can enable this whilst providing benefits to our customers on campus and the broader energy network.”
Find out more about how you could use save by using renewable energy and smarts in your home. Request a quote today.
