Monash University has announced that they’re partnering with tech company Indra to add a Microgrid at their Clayton campus in Melbourne.
As part of the Uni’s plan to go 100% renewable by 2030, they are turning their campus, which spans 20 buildings, into a microgrid. This Microgrid essentially means the discreet buildings are treated as one, powered by a massive 1MW of solar panels and 1 Mwh of battery storage.
This precinct-scale microgrid, is made possible as part of the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA)’s Smart Energy City project.
Indra’s grid management platform will monitor the organisation’s assets in real-time, and optimise the supply of reliable and sustainable electricity, while being connected to the energy market. This essentially allows each building to buy and sell electricity, and optimise energy use in response to pricing signals.
The batteries used in the system will be provided by redT. The commercial energy storage system is currently the largest in Australia and the first ever ‘hybrid’ energy storage system to come online globally that combines vanadium redox flow and lithium-ion technology.
The perfect complement to this renewable energy, is EV charging and to start, Monash are adding 2 electric vehicle chargers.
You can get more information on the plan at https://monash.edu/net-zero-initiative/microgrid
