La Trobe University’s Bendigo Campus is one step closer to achieving its 2022 Net Zero target after construction finished last month on a series of solar carports.

The new carports in Car Parks 1 and 2 will provide much-needed shade for 200 vehicles in the warmer months, and together with additional rooftop solar panels installed on three buildings, have added more than 1,900 panels to the campus.

The new infrastructure is capable of producing over 800kw of renewable energy – the equivalent of around 160 household systems. The campus now has in excess of 3,300 panels, with more than 30 per cent of total electricity consumption being generated from on-site renewables.

Andrew Jennings, Director Carbon Neutral Strategy at La Trobe University, said the project will significantly reduce running costs and carbon emissions.

Both car parks (2).JPG

“These new solar carports will help to reduce carbon emissions across all of our regional campuses by more than 20%, and they’ll also deliver financial savings over the next 25 years.

“La Trobe’s regional campuses are well on their way to achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2022, with the rest of the University expected to achieve that target by 2029,” he said.

The solar carports are part of a range initiatives being implemented as part of the University’s Net Zero program, including thousands of rooftop solar panels, 30,000 energy efficient LED lights and large-scale organic waste composters, with more projects and initiatives underway.