Goulburn's Mulwaree High School will be among 60 NSW public schools taking part in the largest school-based trial of solar, battery and virtual power plant technology.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
During a visit to Kingswood Public School to inspect the new solar and battery system installed under stage one of the Smart Energy Schools Pilot Project, Minister for Education Sarah Mitchell and Member for Penrith Stuart Ayres announced 29 additional schools would be added to the pilot program.
"We now have 60 schools testing the most effective ways to harness and deploy renewable energy back to the electricity grid," Ms Mitchell said.
"We have over eight million square metres of NSW public schools roof spaces and we are looking at how we can utilise this space to reduce electricity costs and improve the environment."
Minister for Energy Matt Kean said the trial will help the NSW Government meet its commitment of net zero emissions by 2050.
"We know that solar is one of the best ways to slash the State's energy bill and emissions," Mr Kean said.
"Adding cloud-based virtual power plant software means that energy generated on site can be used, stored or shared with other schools or homes via the electricity grid."
New air conditioning units with smart controls will be installed at the school with the smart energy systems configured to reduce electricity use, particularly during peak periods.
Mr Ayres said the energy savings could be converted to direct re-investment in educational outcomes.
"Lowering energy costs means we invest more funds in better educational outcomes.
"I look forward to seeing the trial progress, delivering educational outcomes, along with energy savings."
The solar, batteries and VPP systems are now being installed with work across all pilot schools expected to be complete by the middle of 2022.
We depend on subscription revenue to support our journalism. If you are able, please subscribe here. If you are already a subscriber, thank you for your support.
