Sydney Church of England Girl’s Grammar School’s renewable energy transformation.
For schools, there is no one-size-fits-all energy solution. Instead of traditional fixed-rate energy contracts, there is an increasing need for flexible energy agreements that support schools’ needs and fit the role they play in their communities.
We outline below how a unique school- situated in the heart of Australia’s busiest city is making an impact and leading by example to help transition to renewable energy.
Sydney Church of England girl’s Grammar School (SCEGGS) is led by enthusiastic visionary teachers and students who are taking innovative decisions with environmental impact as their core vision.
The school has worked on a progressive sustainability model and has taken practical steps to minimise their overall carbon footprint.
Learn more about how you can connect your school to renewable energy projects here
How much electricity does SCEGGS use and where does that electricity come from?
Electricity for SCEGGS is supplied through their Power Purchase Agreement with Flow Power, this agreement secures them an allocation of electricity generated from the Bomen solar farm and Sapphire wind farm. That electricity is then added to the grid on their behalf to offset their electricity usage.
SCEGGS Power Purchase Agreement provides them with a match of 85.4% for their electricity load from wind and solar.
SCEGGS carbon emission savings
Their Power Purchase Agreement linked to renewable generators and matching a significant portion of the school’s annual energy load has helped SCEGGS offset their carbon emissions by 296 tons.
This is equivalent to greenhouse gas emissions avoided by:
92.9 tons of waste recycled instead of landfilled
This is equivalent to carbon sequestered by:
4,441 tree seedlings grown for 10 years
* Emission calculations via https://www.epa.gov/energy/greenhouse-gas-equivalencies-calculator
How does buying renewables through the grid work?
Flow Power has large offtake agreements with renewable energy generators, which is then on sold to customers in amounts equivalent to a chosen percentage of their predicted annual energy consumption through a Power Purchase Agreement. This process was followed for SCEGGS to secure over the equivalent of 85% of their annual energy consumption.
The National Electricity Market (NEM) is responsible for interconnecting the six eastern and southern Australian states and territories. The NEM infrastructure (often referred to as the “grid”) delivers electricity to homes and businesses alike.
No matter who your provider is, it’s important to note electricity from the grid is typically the same.
Renewable energy generators (such as Flow Power) and fossil-fuel generators both export electricity to the grid, which is then distributed to you. In the process, it all gets mixed – you can’t choose to use renewable energy only.
A Renewable Power Purchase Agreement is a solution for customers looking for a ‘greener’ supply option – your electricity provider (such as Flow Power) arranges for the grid to be supplied with renewable energy that matches an amount of your usage and offsets your grid consumption.
What is energy efficiency and what role does it play?
Just over 85% of SCEGGS usage is linked to clean, renewable energy. During times when their linked renewable projects have low amounts of generation, the remainder of SCEGGS energy supply is linked to the wholesale energy market.
Having a wholesale electricity contract means that, as opposed to having prices that reflect a standard “peak” and “off-peak” rate, customers are charged based on the real-time price of electricity.
The wholesale electricity market generally observes the cheapest electricity prices during the day. Times when energy prices are low usually correlate to high renewable energy generation which is then supplied to the grid. When energy prices are high, it is usually the most carbon intensive time to use electricity.
Flow Power gives our customers the tools to help improve their energy efficiency. It’s not just potential cost savings on an energy bill. A wholesale energy contract can be used by customers to manage their demand during high price events and rewards customers using energy during periods typically associated with higher renewable generation (such as the middle of the day).
Flow Power make energy efficiency easy to achieve with handy tools such as the Price Efficiency Indicator through the customer portal. This tool allows you to check how your energy use and price efficiency is tracking and understand immediately what action you can take to improve your bill while taking advantage of renewable energy.
Your school can help lead Australia’s renewable energy transition
With custom built energy contracts to suit your individual needs, Flow Power links Australian schools to our real renewable energy projects such as community solar farms and powerful wind farms.
Discover the price benefits, carbon efficiency and learning opportunities of supporting renewable energy.
Together, we can help create Australia’s net zero carbon future, today.
Contact us about connecting your school to renewable energy through a Power Purchase Agreement.
? 1300 08 06 08 (Mon-Fri 9-5)
Alternatively, you can submit your questions through our website contact form here.
