The ambition for Smart Energy Cities and the modern role of Universities in getting there

The Monash University Net Zero Initiative and its partners sought to establish a future-enabling energy grid for the Clayton campus as part of the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) funded Smart Energy City project. The aim was to formulate strategies for energy efficiencies, campus electrification, and deploying on-site and off-site renewable Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) such as solar photovoltaic cells (PVs), battery energy storage systems (BESS), electric vehicles (EVs), etc. Smarts are needed to maintain power quality whilst optimising our financial position given market-driven responses and ensuring efficient or green energy usage across the campus. Luckily for us, the Clayton campus has an energy profile similar to a small city, liberating our focus from the modernisation of building management to how we change society.
We completed the 3yr ARENA project at the end of 2021. The series of blogs on this website aims to share our learnings on the ambidextrous (or dual-speed) role Universities can play in society’s transition to modern energy.