Short Summary
Flinders University's initiative is a multi-faceted approach to campus sustainability, combining energy management, educational outreach, and financial viability. The project leverages the university's entrepreneurial spirit as a catalyst for sustainability while addressing education, research, societal needs, institutional vision, and unwavering commitment to innovation. Collaboratively, these elements worked in concert to transform sustainability goals into tangible outcomes.
Introduction
Flinders University is an internationally recognized university with over 25,000 students and more than 2500 staff working and learning across 11 key locations in Adelaide, rural and remote South Australia and across the Northern Territory. Flinders University’s increased momentum in research growth (more than 140% in five years), combined with outstanding results in education and student experience make it one of the world’s leading universities. With global reach and impact, we are perfectly positioned to embed sustainability into everything we do. We can experiment and innovate in research and education and across the breadth of our operations. By trialing innovative technology, and collaborating both locally and internationally with State support, we are positioned to directly support the decarbonization of our own regional grid and share our insights with other users across Australia and beyond. Our ground-breaking initiative through 10x V2G and 15x smart charging stations doesn't just solve energy challenges—it drives regulatory, commercial and market engagement in sustainable practices.
A Multi-Layered Approach to Sustainability
Flinders University went from using 15% to 100% renewable electricity by teaming up with ENGIE at sourcing electricity from a 119MW Willogoleche Wind Farm and Flinders’ existing 2.2MW solar power system on campus. But they didn't stop there; in 2021, the South Australian Government approved a $354,250 AUD grant for the university's Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) trial project, enabling a cost-effective trial of EVs serving as a Virtual Power Plant (VPP).
Financial and Scalability Impact
The VPP optimizes energy consumption, moving from high cost to low cost (high renewables) periods. Flinders University utilizes its campus operations as a living lab. Not only do we aim to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by leveraging our 100% renewable electricity, including electrifying our fleet and scaling up energy storage, but we also seek to encourage societal decarbonization through business and community partnerships. Bi-directional EV charging represents one of the largest potential enablers of Australia’s energy transition. To put into context, the Australian Energy Market Operator’s 2022 integrated systems plan reported that the National Electricity Market (NEM) will require 640 GWh of all forms of storage by 2050. The usable storage in Australia’s EV fleet at the time will be nearly four times the total NEM storage requirements.
The Australian Renewable Energy Agency’s (ARENA) V2X.au Summary Report suggests flexible bidirectional charging from only 10% of this capacity could provide 37% of total NEM storage needs, offsetting approximately $94 billion of large-scale battery storage investments (at current prices). By early 2030, EV fleet battery capacity is likely to surpass all other forms of storage in the national electricity market. It’s not just a win for vehicle owners; it also strengthens the resilience of the power grid. Currently, the cost of V2G units stands between $10-15k. A primary goal of our trial is to generate demand for and normalize this technology to grow availability and lower costs of V2G chargers, anticipating a price reduction below $5k in the coming years. This price point would make it a cost-effective alternative to stationary batteries and traditional petrol vehicles. The pilot data suggests scalability, pointing toward broader applications that could extend even to other communities and campuses.
Educational Outreach
Flinders University's initiative is a multi-faceted approach to campus sustainability, combining energy management, and educational outreach, and integrates dynamic digital signage to educate students and staff about how the VPP and renewable energy systems work, furthering engagement in the project.
Global and National Relevance
This initiative holds the potential to further stimulate regulatory change and greater adoption of renewable technologies, both nationally and internationally. It serves as a case study that transcends the academic sector, influencing policy in government and business circles. It serves as an exemplar in higher education, challenging us to ask how we can, as educational institutions, act as catalysts for sustainable change and an example of universities going beyond their traditional roles to meet the pressing global sustainability challenges.
-
-
Flinders University Vice-Chancellor Professor Colin Stirling (middle) and Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Tom Koutsantonis (left) at the V2G trial launch