La Trobe installs 7500 solar panels, LED lights

A new solar panel installation at La Trobe will see the university achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2029.

The solar energy project has just been completed at its Bundoora Campus, with 7500 solar panels energised on roofs around the university.

The new solar panel system, which will generate 2.5 MW of clean, renewable electricity, is a cornerstone of La Trobe’s Net Zero Plan to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2029 through renewable energy projects, energy efficiency improvements and waste reduction on campus.

La Trobe Vice-Chancellor Professor John Dewar AO said the university is proving it is serious about sustainability.

“These panels will supply up to half of the campus’s energy needs on days of peak solar efficiency,” Professor Dewar said.

“Having a 7500 solar panel system installed across 25 buildings will reduce our carbon emissions by 4000 tonnes each year and is a major investment in our renewable energy future.”

He said that as part of the Net Zero plan, 24,000 energy-efficient LED lights have been fitted in 100 buildings across La Trobe’s Bundoora, Bendigo, Shepparton, Mildura and Albury-Wodonga campuses. Regional campuses are already using power from a total of 3300 solar panels.

“These combined measures will reduce our carbon emissions by 15% this year and deliver financial savings through reducing our energy bills for the next 25 years,” Dewar said.

La Trobe students and staff are now using software developed at the university to monitor energy production and identify further energy efficiency improvements.