Monash University in Clayton, Melbourne, is one of the largest university campuses in Australia, with about 100 buildings over a 60-hectare site. With tens of thousands of students, staff and researches passing through every day, the university consumes huge quantities of energy for heating, cooling, lighting and technical equipment. Monash University is now hard at work to achieve their goal of net-zero emissions by 2030. To become Australia’s first 100% renewable energy powered university, the Monash University Solar Thermal Solution has begun.

The Monash University Solar Thermal Solution involves work on an innovative solar and battery storage-based renewable energy microgrid to manage its renewable energy generation, responsive to the broader network as well as on-site demands.

One of their strategies to achieve this net zero emission target is reducing their gas consumption by providing preheating to a low-load boiler serving a campus-wide high-temperature hot water system. Previously Monash University had an existing underground central high-temperature hot water system, that was maintained with two gas-fired 8MW boilers. To reduce this gas consumption, the strategy was to heat the high-temperature hot water system using oil heaters and solar arrays.