The Green Wave: Adding value through net zero energy strategies

Chief Investigators

David Roche  (UTS)

Purpose of project

Limiting global warming to 1.5°C requires rapid and deep greenhouse gas emission reductions. Many institutions are now looking at how to establish a net zero strategy that aligns with the Paris Climate Agreement.

The Green Wave project sets out to explore new ways to address the net zero challenge and ask ”what are the net zero energy and decarbonisation strategies available that can help to deliver greater trust, legitimacy, and social value?”

This project looks at net zero energy and emission commitments in three university precincts – Curtin, Monash, and UTS. These institutes will leverage their campuses and unique research and innovation capabilities to reduce emissions. As part of this work, they will establish a roadmap for identifying multiple net zero opportunities that can be employed at scale.

The three universities involved in the study, each at a different stage in their net zero emissions journey, will explore a range of decarbonisation opportunities across their campuses. They will also identify pathways to add value by deeply engaging with community and business partnerships through net zero energy strategy.

Impact of project

Universities are well-established public-benefit institutions embedded within thought-leadership communities. As such, they should be seen as critical enablers for seeding a net zero economy through their core activities of research and education.

The project intends to lay the foundations for collaborative decarbonisation solutions that build legitimacy and provide examples of how deep stakeholder engagement can improve planning processes and lead to better investment decisions.

A key element of the research will be to find ways to develop institutional net zero strategies that more deeply engage community and business partnerships: delivering greater trust, legitimacy and social value while maximising economic impact.

The blueprint to be set out in the report is looking to start a ‘Green Wave’ to deliver complementary economic, social and environmental value beyond each organisation’s boundaries.

The project outputs will also be broadly applicable to other organisations, providing a process for developing institutional net zero strategies and addressing the technical challenges that may arise.

Project partners – industry and research

UTS (Lead), Climate-KIC, Curtin University, RedGrid

Industry Reference Group members

Buildings Alive, CleanPeak, Climate-KIC, Curtin University, EnergyLab, Monash University, NSW DPIE, RedGrid, Sunovate, UTS CSJI., UTS ISF, UTS Sustainability