In schools across NSW, passion for sustainability initiatives has ignited the spirits of parents and children alike. Contact online >>
In schools across NSW, passion for sustainability initiatives has ignited the spirits of parents and children alike.
With over 2,200 public schools in NSW, School Infrastructure NSW (SINSW) identified an opportunity for cost and energy savings through the large-scale deployment of small-scale on-site solar and battery storage.
Public schools across the state have already installed more than 17 MW of solar energy systems, capable of generating enough energy to power 3,000 NSW homes. These systems have the potential to be fantastic learning opportunities for students. Real-time data monitoring portals will be used in classrooms to engage students with what''s happening on their school roof, putting their maths, electrical engineering and sustainability skills into practice.
As energy systems transform and technology improves, there is even more of an opportunity for schools to become part of the energy transition. SINSW recognised this opportunity but needed to determine the best way to generate cost-effective renewable energy at each site.
The Sustainable Government program, in the Office of Energy and Climate Change, supports NSW Government departments to achieve their net zero emissions goals. With access to a panel of solar and battery experts, the Sustainable Government team undertook a desktop assessment of the optimal solar and battery energy system sizes across 2,000 schools across NSW.
The assessments included determining the ideal solar energy and battery storage system size for each school to allow for maximum energy savings, return on investment and environmental benefit for the NSW Department of Education. The potential savings identified are substantial and the Office of Energy and Climate Change have recognised that applying similar thinking to all government assets and roof space could make a significant contribution to the state meeting its overall targets.
SINSW has included the portfolio-wide assessments in an Expression of Interest (EOI) process, which is seeking proposals from the private sector to finance, install and operate renewable energy technology across all NSW public schools.
''The opportunity to take a portfolio view, aggregating many small-scale systems to achieve large-scale impact demonstrates the leadership and ambition of the NSW Department of Education. Working collaboratively with the Sustainable Government program and SINSW has been one of the many reasons why the desktop assessment has been so successful. It''s a great demonstration of how government agencies can lead the way in the transition to net zero emissions,'' says Prema Govender, Manager, Sustainable Government.
This process is the largest ''behind-the-meter'' procurement exercise of its type in Australia. The results of the EOI will also provide insight into how solar and battery energy storage systems could be best delivered across other government assets.
Photos: School Infrastructure NSW
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The Smart Energy Pilot Project will test new ways to produce, store and share clean, renewable energy at more than 50 NSW public schools.
The NSW Government program is the largest of its kind in Australia with solar panels, battery storage systems and virtual power plant technology being trialled across the schools.
We selected schools to take part in the pilot project based on their size, electrical requirements and location.
Around 1,500 NSW public schools across the state have already installed 15 megawatts of solar energy technology. These systems produce enough energy to power around 3,000 NSW homes, saving almost 17,000 tonnes of carbon emissions each year.
But energy systems are now rapidly transforming. Technology is changing and electricity customers can participate in energy markets by storing and trading energy and other services.
The Smart Energy School Pilot Project will test the most efficient and effective way for schools to take part in this exciting transition.
Our pilot project will be rolled out in two stages, with schools receiving new or extra solar photovoltaic (PV) and battery storage systems.
These schools are also taking part in the Cooler Classrooms program, and their solar PV and battery installations will help to reduce electricity consumption from air conditioning.
They will also test how they can reduce peak demand on the electricity grid and the need for costly electrical infrastructure upgrades.
School communities and students will also learn from the innovative technology, understanding how energy is generated and ways that local communities can be part of new and emerging energy markets.
Market testing will take place as part of the pilot project to help understand the capability and willingness of energy market participants to deliver various solutions across a larger portfolio of schools.
A due diligence report will also be completed to understand the state of existing solar and battery systems at public schools. This report will look at how best to manage them on an ongoing basis as well as the potential for new systems.
Energy data from the pilot project along with results from the market sounding and due diligence report will be assessed to help understand the benefits and costs of large-scale implementation of solar systems and batteries in NSW public schools.
The NSW Minister for Education and Early Learning Sarah Mitchell has announced the first tranche of 24 schools to take part in the Smart Energy Schools Pilot Project.
Additional solar PV generation and battery storage has also been installed at seven schools as part of the Smart Batteries for Key Government Buildings initiative, supported by the Australian Renewable Energy Agency.
The schools were selected based on size, electrical requirements and location. Schools are unable to apply to take part in the program.
Work to confirm the second stage schools is ongoing, with installation and commissioning expected to be complete by the middle of 2022.
The following list shows the schools and key data about their solar and battery systems.
Australian Renewable Energy Agency and NSW Government battery pilot schools
We will collect and evaluate data from the program over the next 12 to 18 months, however the installations will continue to operate over the next decade or more.
We will assess the installations against a range of technical, financial, economic, environmental, educational and resilience criteria.
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