UNE’s own green revolution continues on many fronts, with a commitment to using renewable energy, improving water-use efficiency and protecting campus refuges and residents.
Our $6.3 million 3.2-megawatt solar farm, which came on line in September 2020, is exceeding all expectations, with its 8,700 ground-mounted photovoltaic solar modules now powering 49% of the Armidale academic campus or 42% of the overall campus (including our residential colleges). That is reducing our carbon emissions by up to 5,000 tonnes a year – enough to power more than 800 households annually. We are hoping the farm will deliver to the university savings of $7-8 million within 10 years.
And the beauty of the solar farm is that as well as substantially reducing our carbon footprint, it will serve as an important learning tool, proving hands-on opportunities for research and teaching in renewable energy.
The solar farm is just one of a series of UNE sustainability milestones.
When Armidale Regional Council introduced water restrictions during the protracted drought, in March 2019, we made a concerted effort to improve our water-use efficiency. Collectively, we cut campus water consumption by 66% and began remediating Lake Zot to increase its storage capacity.
Lake Zot
Now, filled to the brim with summer rainfall, Lake Zot is storing about 60 megalitres and supplies 95% of Sport UNE’s field irrigation needs.
“UNE is one of the largest water users in the local government area and Lake Zot has enabled us to greatly reduce our reliance on town water,” UNE’s Environmental and Sustainability Manager Suzannah Mitchell said. “It’s also another great tool for teaching and learning and research.”
Just last month, a floating wetland was added to Lake Zot, to provide a habitat/haven for native birds and aquatic animals and help support good water quality, in a move sure to please UNE staff, students and local birdwatchers alike. If the pilot project proves successful, further wetlands may be added.
In addition, we’ve begun constructing a new dam on Clark’s Farm, which will increase its water capacity to almost 7 megalitres. This dam will be the primary irrigation source for the Toombs Farm Pasture Technology Field Site on Madgwick Drive.
On campus, we prize our populations of koalas, echidnas, kangaroos and birds. Two conservation zones were established on campus in 2019 to protect endangered ecological communities and areas of Aboriginal significance, and these are clearly signed so that all visitors can appreciate our special ecosystems.
After the supercell that destroyed a large number of mature trees on our campus last October, 120 artificial habitat hollows were installed. Researchers from the School of Environmental and Rural Sciences oversaw the location and placement of the hollows and this, too, will inform future research. Later this year, we intend planting some 1,500 native trees and shrubs to the north of the Armidale campus.
For more details of the green measures we’ve introduced in recent months, go to our 2021 Annual Environmental Review https://www.une.edu.au/about-une/areas/administration/estate-and-built-environment/environment
