Two schools’ classrooms in NSW will be powered solely by renewable energy, taking them off the grid and teaching students about sustainability.
The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) and federal government are providing $370,000 in funding to St Christopher’s Catholic Primary School in Holsworthy and Dapto High School to trial a 100 per cent renewable power and smart technology program in their new classrooms.
Known as the Hivve, the modular classrooms – which are fully air-conditioned – integrate solar photovoltaic panels and real-time energy and air quality monitoring to generate energy and control their own usage.
These classrooms will have a potential net energy generation of 7,600-kilowatts per year. Photo: Janie Barrett
According to ARENA, these classrooms will have a potential net energy generation of 7600-kilowatts per year, producing enough to also power other classrooms.
The data from the classrooms, which will be collected from a range of meters and sensors installed in the rooms, allows the school to manage their own energy demand and usage via dashboards.
St Christopher’s Principal Tony Boyd said the school and the students are excited about the program.
“It’s an exciting prospect where schools can be a generator of electricity,” Mr Boyd told Fairfax Media.
“We hope it’s self-sustaining in its power usage and an effective learning space, more so, we hope to use it to tie-in with the kid’s science education and learning about sustainability.”
Published by The Sydney Morning Herald, continue reading here.