Victoria’s largest urban solar farm has been officially switched on at La Trobe University’s Melbourne campus, marking a major milestone in the university’s ambition to achieve carbon neutrality by 2029.
Located 18 kilometres northeast of the Melbourne CBD, the $10 million (USD 6.38 million), 3.5-hectare solar farm features more than 4,300 solar panels and is constructed on 11,250 square metres of solar-generating area, producing the equivalent energy of 600 household systems.
La Trobe University Vice-Chancellor Professor Theo Farrell said the project is an example of the university’s ongoing commitment to investing in sustainability and the environment.
“This investment will deliver ongoing emissions and cost savings to the university for the next 25 years,” Farrell said.
The project includes a 2.9 MW solar array paired with a 2.5 MWh battery energy storage system (BESS), taking total solar generation for the Bundoora campus to 5.8 MW.
The farm generates enough power each year to keep the Melbourne Cricket Ground’s (MCGs) light towers illuminated for 11 consecutive years and is set to slash the university’s total energy emissions by a further 15%, taking overall emissions reduction to more than 65% – or 35,000 tonnes – since the launch of La Trobe’s Net Zero program in 2019.
More than 98% of the power generated at the site will be used at the Bundoora campus, significantly reducing energy costs and emissions.
The site will also be connected to the grid, enabling La Trobe to provide support when required to help avoid power issues in the community.
Image: La Trobe University
Biodiversity
The University is planting 40,000 plants and 600 trees as part of the project, increasing vegetation on the site by 200%, with a focus on indigenous species from La Trobe’s Nangak Tamboree Wildlife Sanctuary.
The solar farm site will also serve as a ‘living lab’ for a La Trobe-led agrivoltaic research project that will investigate the viability, yields and quality of lavender grown in land shared with solar energy generation to optimise the productivity of the land.
The University has successfully issued its inaugural green bond ($175 million) along with a $195 million Sustainability Linked Loan.
In 2024 the University announced a commitment to 100% renewable electricity through a power purchase agreement with Spanish energy giant Iberdrola, with the aim of having all electricity purchased by the university by 2028, emissions free.
La Trobe’s regional Victoria campuses in Bendigo, Shepparton, Albury-Wodonga and Mildura are already certified as carbon neutral and its new Shepparton campus is the university’s first completely electric institution.
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