“Largest” urban solar farm and battery planned to power university campus

La Trobe University has announced plans to install what it claims to be the largest “urban solar farm” in Victoria, a 2.9MW PV ground-mounted array and 2.5MW battery (energy storage duration not stated), which will take the total solar generation at the Bundoora campus to 5.8MW.

The $10 million La Trobe Renewable Energy Zone will be installed on 3.5 hectares of vacant university-owned land in the midst of Melbourne’s north-eastern suburbs, around 15km outside of the CBD.

La Trobe vice-chancellor Professor John Dewar says the project is fully funded by the university using funds from the recently raised Green Bond.

“Our commitment to Net Zero by 2029 will see our University City of the Future become a leading energy and water efficient city, using renewable technologies to support local climate resilience and positive environmental impact,” Dewar said this week.

“The Renewable Zone is a vital step in this journey. Universities are perfectly placed to not just research ways to reduce emissions and develop renewable energy technologies, but to be change leaders in implementing innovative solutions.”

The University says more than 40,000 plants and 600-plus trees will be added to improve the biodiversity of the site, with a focus on locally indigenous plants sourced from the La Trobe Nangak Tamboree Wildlife Sanctuary.

Construction is due to begin in early 2024.

Universities and some independent schools around Australia have been very active in the shift to renewable energy, usually via on-site rooftop solar arrays and battery storage, as well as through power purchase agreements with large-scale solar or wind farms.

In South Australia, Flinders University announced its had achieved 100 per cent renewables in 2021, through a mix of on-campus solar and an off-take deal with the Willogoleche wind farm.

Others sourcing 100 per cent of their electricity from renewables include Monash University in Victoria, the University of Queensland – which has also installed its own Tesla battery system, and the University of Newcastle in New South Wales.

La Trobe’s urban solar farm and battery join 2.5MW* already installed across the rooftops of the expansive Bundoora Campus, switched on in 2020, and the roughly 500kW solar car park installed at the University’s Bendigo campus.

Monash University in Melbourne’s south-east has close to 5MW installed at its Clayton Campus, but this spread across the campus on its rooftops, so La Trobe’s claim on the biggest urban solar farm may just be valid.

*An earlier version of this story said La Trobe had previously installed 250MW at its Bundoora Campus. The correct figure is 2.5MW.