Faculty news
Launch of solar power generation at La Trobe
- 3 December 2008
The Department of Electronic Engineering and the Buildings and Grounds unit have installed 30 solar panels on the roof of La Trobe's CycleSmart centre, which was recently built as part of La Trobe's sustainability program. The solar panels were purchased as part of a government initiative towards sustainability. The funding for the solar panels came from several sources; Sustainability Victoria, the Australian Government Department of the Environment Heritage Water and the Arts, La Trobe, and contributing staff and students from the University’s Department of Electronic Engineering and Buildings and Grounds Division.
Many of the La Trobe's staff and students along with their friends and families pitched in to help with the project. PhD student Andrew Mackie, who worked on installing the solar panels, says that "The opportunity to be involved in setting up a system to obtain free, clean electricity from the sun for decades is the type of thing that makes a community such as La Trobe's pull together."
On 3 December, Andrew Mackie and Department of Electronic Engineering Laboratory Manager Peter Stewart, hosted a pre-launch morning tea, boiling the billy, making the tea, and frying an egg on solar power.
Vice Chancellor Paul Johnson then officially launched the solar power station and Julie Harris, from Sustainability Victoria, talked about Sustainability Victoria’s Solar in Schools Scheme.
While the energy output of the panels if small compared with La Trobe's total electricity usage, the 30 solar panels will serve as an educational and research tool as well as raising the awareness of sustainable energy generation within the whole La Trobe community.
Presently, the Department of Electronic Engineering is in the process of adding a new sustainable engineering stream which will include the modification of one unit and the inclusion of two new units to focus on sustainable energy. The solar panel facility will enhance sustainable energy teaching and research activities at La Trobe and will demonstrate the principles of photovoltaic electricity generation and provide students with opportunities to develop monitoring processes. The new facility will be ready for the teaching of the new sustainable energy units in 2009.
For more information visit the Solar Power webpage