Strategy
Jointly developed with ClimateWorks Australia, our strategy encompasses five key pillars:
- Energy efficiency measures
- Campus electrification
- Addressing our residual emissions through offsetting
- Deployment of on-site and off-site renewable energy
- A sustainable microgrid
The aim is that these pillars will help us reach net zero emissions for Monash's built environment by 2030.
Energy efficiency
We're reducing the overall energy of our operations through LED lighting upgrades, sustainability certification for new buildings, and investing in smart building technology.
LED lighting
We are upgrading all existing lighting to LED technology across our Australian campuses. Almost 40,000 lights have already been replaced and there are further lighting upgrades planned.
Honeywell partnership
The Monash University - Honeywell partnership is focused on researching a building's ability to alter its temperature based on the preferences of its occupants. This 'smart building' initiative is changing the way building performance data can be used to help mitigate risk, enhance business continuity and reduce operational costs, and is helping us understand a new way of energy reduction
Campus electrification
Ending our dependence on natural gas
We're replacing our inefficient gas boilers with electric heat pumps, and building thermal precincts to more effectively provide heating and cooling for our campuses.
At our Clayton campus, we also have solar thermal collectors that can heat our buildings using energy from the sun.
Caulfield grounds maintenance now emission free
Our contracted service providers have fully electrified their equipment used to maintain our external facilities at Caulfield and Peninsula campuses.
With Caulfield and Peninsula campus grounds maintenance emission free, we’re looking to expand this initiative to other campuses.
Renewable energy
All energy on our campuses will be from renewable sources, ensuring net zero carbon emissions from our infrastructure and operations.
Solar panels
We have completed a large roll out of solar panel installations across our campuses. So far, more than 4,000 have been installed since 2015. We have increased our solar capacity by 636 per cent to 3.7 Megawatt (MW). That's enough solar energy to power over 430 houses per year!
Murra Warra Wind Farm
We've signed a long term power purchase agreement with the Murra Warra Wind Farm in western Victoria, to buy both electricity production and large scale renewable energy certificates (RECs) generated by the farm. Construction of the wind farm was completed in 2019, and is now operational. This investment in wind energy provides Monash with 33 MW of renewable power, with total renewable energy generation being greater than Monash’s total usage on an annual basis.
Offsetting
Verified Emissions Reductions
We've committed to purchasing offsets with verified emissions reductions, through the Verified Carbon Standard or the Gold Standard. We currently offset the emissions from our fleet vehicles through Greenfleet.
Microgrid
We are building an on-site microgrid at our Clayton campus, allowing us to control when and how we use our energy.
Net Zero buildings
To prepare ourselves for the move to 100 per cent renewable energy, we're re-thinking the design of our new buildings and retro-fitting our old buildings to be state-of-the-art spaces for comfort and performance.
Relevant sustainable development goals
You can read more about Monash’s overall campus sustainability strategy here.