Climate Action category
At Flinders University, we are committed to becoming a climate-positive institution, as we are committed to direct emissions reductions in line with the 1.5°C Paris Agreement target and aiming towards a net negative emissions profile by 2030. While electric vehicles are part of our future, we were determined to take it a step further with the concept of bi-directional smart-charging systems for electric vehicles (EVs) and demonstrate the commercial feasibility of Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) to enable future energy storage from all vehicles on a global scale.
The initiative involves installing and maintaining 10 V2G and 15 smart chargers for the University’s growing EV fleet and public use. Through utilising bi-directional and smart charging, the University harnesses 100% renewable energy generated by ENGIE’s 119MW Willogoleche Wind Farm during the night and supplemented by Flinders University’s 2.2MW solar power systems at the University during the day. “Then, between 5 pm and 9 pm when the South Australian grid is under high demand, the stored 100% renewable energy in the EV batteries is discharged into the campus grid, enabling the university to reduce its demand when the wider South Australian grid is gas-fed or under stress.
Figure 1: Diagram of 100% renewable energy daily usage and dispatch of V2G chargers.
Figure 2: Breakdown of V2G process.
After a lot of hard work and regulatory approvals, our initiative is now a game-changer in the world of energy storage. Five fleet vehicles (10 on order) can now operate as a virtual power plant, delivering peak demand management and optimization of behind-the-meter generation. We are proud to say that we are helping to reduce the carbon footprint of the grid itself while harnessing the power of renewable energy.
But it’s not just about the technology. We have also incorporated dynamic digital signage to communicate how the technology works to users of our university fleet. This helps to educate staff and students about the importance of renewable energy and how they can contribute to a more sustainable future. Additionally, to increase the usability of this technology to more users, we have incorporated RFID-free charging as well as building management systems (BMS) integration and remote control.
We believe that our initiative is impactful and paving the way for future projects, such as the electrification of campus infrastructure and the extension of the concept to V2G EV for campus buses and pushing the global vehicle industry to embrace and provide both CHAdeMO and CCS V2G technology. We are at the forefront of the green energy revolution, and we are showing the world what’s possible when people come together with a shared vision for a better future.
Environmental and social benefits
Environmentally, this initiative supports the scaling of energy storage technology to increase renewables and the minimisation of our dependence on fossil fuels. Importantly, while we recognise that our solar energy and ENGIE’s Wind energy has contributed to our significant reduction in scope 2 emissions within a span of 1 year, representing ~20% of our overall emissions, we expect that scaling up V2G technology will get us closer to reaching our climate-positive targets.
Beyond this, the initiative illustrates how a commercial fleet (pool vehicles) can optimally absorb renewable onsite generation during the day and wind energy at night, reducing university peak demand and delivering wider benefits to the stabilization of the South Australian grid through interaction with renewable energy assets. Furthermore, this initiative will help support and pave the way for future projects such as the full electrification of our fleet and campus infrastructure.
Figure 3: Flinders University Scope 2 Emissions from 2019 to 2022.
The implementation of this initiative has pushed us to move away from petrol fleets and prioritise EV fleets that support V2G charging. Currently, we are actively operating 5 Nissan Leaf cars on campus, as we await our fleet order. However, we are keen to expand on this form of EV fleet once there is sufficient market supply to ensure that we are reducing our overall scope 1 fuel emissions.
Regarding other benefits, our adoption of V2G technology means that we are increasing our resilience and adaptation against power outages and natural disasters. This is because it can serve as an emergency power source for critical infrastructure. By allowing us to tap into the energy stored in EV batteries, V2G can provide backup power.
Leadership and engagement
Similar to other Universities, we have progressively increased our deployment of solar panels across campus. As such, this has become a major contributor to us utilising 100% renewable electricity on campus. However, what enables our initiative to be distinctive is our push to embrace newer innovations such as V2G technologies and forming collaborations with various external stakeholders to support emissions reductions.
Figure 4: Flinders University overall campus emissions 2022 versus 2023.
Additionally, it is allowing us to demonstrate the potential and scalability of V2G technology not only locally through our network provider but all the up through the global supply chain.
Significance to the sector
Our initiative is distinctive and unique as we are one of the first Australian Universities to adopt V2G technology on campus to actively harness its technologically evolving capabilities. This allows us to demonstrate an innovative and scalable approach to achieving sustainability. Additionally, it proves that we are not afraid to push boundaries by incorporating new technological components such as dynamic digital signages which is the first-first-of-its kind as well as ensuring this emerging technology achieves regulatory approvals via the network provider.
Wider societal impact
The wider societal impact and value of this initiative are that it contributes to the normalisation of V2G for fleet use; assisted in the development of new fleet standard operating procedure (SOP) to increase scalability; helps developed nuanced communication for uses; and is the first step in scaling transport as a campus energy storage.
Moreover, reflecting on the potential of surplus energy that electric vehicles may hold, a recent Australian Financial Review editorial presented compelling statistics. The typical Australian car owner, equipped with an electric vehicle of an average 60kWh battery size, only utilizes approximately 10% of this capacity daily, leaving a substantial 90% as surplus energy. Given that Australia boasts about 15 million registered passenger vehicles, this translates to a combined surplus energy potential of 720 gigawatt-hours (GW-hours), mirroring the country’s average daily electricity generation. The implications are profound: a fully electric vehicle fleet could serve as a colossal, decentralized energy storage system, maintaining nearly a full day’s worth of Australia’s electricity supply beyond our transportation needs. Such a resource could be instrumental in bolstering the grid during peak demand periods, notably the evening hours, and could facilitate a significant transition away from fossil fuel-based electricity, thereby aiding in mitigating climate change. The role of electric vehicles, therefore, extends beyond merely providing sustainable transport – they could revolutionize our energy systems and expedite our transition towards a greener, carbon-neutral society. Therefore, our initiative is showcasing the tremendous prospects of harnessing this technology.
Learner/Graduate employer impact
While this project is coordinated from the operational functions of the University, this initiative ensures that the data from this project will be available to students and researchers who want to participate with this project to gain both valuable hard skills and soft skills such as engineering, business, law, analytics, leadership and project management. All of which will be vital to their employability once they graduate and enter the workforce.
Top 3 learnings
Supported by
Category finalists
Climate Action/Winners
Climate Action/Winners
Climate Action
Climate Action
Climate Action category
At Flinders University, we are committed to becoming a climate-positive institution, as we are committed to direct emissions reductions in line with the 1.5°C Paris Agreement target and aiming towards a net negative emissions profile by 2030. While electric vehicles are part of our future, we were determined to take it a step further with the concept of bi-directional smart-charging systems for electric vehicles (EVs) and demonstrate the commercial feasibility of Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) to enable future energy storage from all vehicles on a global scale.
The initiative involves installing and maintaining 10 V2G and 15 smart chargers for the University’s growing EV fleet and public use. Through utilising bi-directional and smart charging, the University harnesses 100% renewable energy generated by ENGIE’s 119MW Willogoleche Wind Farm during the night and supplemented by Flinders University’s 2.2MW solar power systems at the University during the day. “Then, between 5 pm and 9 pm when the South Australian grid is under high demand, the stored 100% renewable energy in the EV batteries is discharged into the campus grid, enabling the university to reduce its demand when the wider South Australian grid is gas-fed or under stress.
Figure 1: Diagram of 100% renewable energy daily usage and dispatch of V2G chargers.
Figure 2: Breakdown of V2G process.
After a lot of hard work and regulatory approvals, our initiative is now a game-changer in the world of energy storage. Five fleet vehicles (10 on order) can now operate as a virtual power plant, delivering peak demand management and optimization of behind-the-meter generation. We are proud to say that we are helping to reduce the carbon footprint of the grid itself while harnessing the power of renewable energy.
But it’s not just about the technology. We have also incorporated dynamic digital signage to communicate how the technology works to users of our university fleet. This helps to educate staff and students about the importance of renewable energy and how they can contribute to a more sustainable future. Additionally, to increase the usability of this technology to more users, we have incorporated RFID-free charging as well as building management systems (BMS) integration and remote control.
We believe that our initiative is impactful and paving the way for future projects, such as the electrification of campus infrastructure and the extension of the concept to V2G EV for campus buses and pushing the global vehicle industry to embrace and provide both CHAdeMO and CCS V2G technology. We are at the forefront of the green energy revolution, and we are showing the world what’s possible when people come together with a shared vision for a better future.
Top 3 learnings
Environmental and social benefits
Environmentally, this initiative supports the scaling of energy storage technology to increase renewables and the minimisation of our dependence on fossil fuels. Importantly, while we recognise that our solar energy and ENGIE’s Wind energy has contributed to our significant reduction in scope 2 emissions within a span of 1 year, representing ~20% of our overall emissions, we expect that scaling up V2G technology will get us closer to reaching our climate-positive targets.
Beyond this, the initiative illustrates how a commercial fleet (pool vehicles) can optimally absorb renewable onsite generation during the day and wind energy at night, reducing university peak demand and delivering wider benefits to the stabilization of the South Australian grid through interaction with renewable energy assets. Furthermore, this initiative will help support and pave the way for future projects such as the full electrification of our fleet and campus infrastructure.
Figure 3: Flinders University Scope 2 Emissions from 2019 to 2022.
The implementation of this initiative has pushed us to move away from petrol fleets and prioritise EV fleets that support V2G charging. Currently, we are actively operating 5 Nissan Leaf cars on campus, as we await our fleet order. However, we are keen to expand on this form of EV fleet once there is sufficient market supply to ensure that we are reducing our overall scope 1 fuel emissions.
Regarding other benefits, our adoption of V2G technology means that we are increasing our resilience and adaptation against power outages and natural disasters. This is because it can serve as an emergency power source for critical infrastructure. By allowing us to tap into the energy stored in EV batteries, V2G can provide backup power.
Leadership and engagement
Similar to other Universities, we have progressively increased our deployment of solar panels across campus. As such, this has become a major contributor to us utilising 100% renewable electricity on campus. However, what enables our initiative to be distinctive is our push to embrace newer innovations such as V2G technologies and forming collaborations with various external stakeholders to support emissions reductions.
Figure 4: Flinders University overall campus emissions 2022 versus 2023.
Additionally, it is allowing us to demonstrate the potential and scalability of V2G technology not only locally through our network provider but all the up through the global supply chain.
Significance to the sector
Our initiative is distinctive and unique as we are one of the first Australian Universities to adopt V2G technology on campus to actively harness its technologically evolving capabilities. This allows us to demonstrate an innovative and scalable approach to achieving sustainability. Additionally, it proves that we are not afraid to push boundaries by incorporating new technological components such as dynamic digital signages which is the first-first-of-its kind as well as ensuring this emerging technology achieves regulatory approvals via the network provider.
Wider societal impact
The wider societal impact and value of this initiative are that it contributes to the normalisation of V2G for fleet use; assisted in the development of new fleet standard operating procedure (SOP) to increase scalability; helps developed nuanced communication for uses; and is the first step in scaling transport as a campus energy storage.
Moreover, reflecting on the potential of surplus energy that electric vehicles may hold, a recent Australian Financial Review editorial presented compelling statistics. The typical Australian car owner, equipped with an electric vehicle of an average 60kWh battery size, only utilizes approximately 10% of this capacity daily, leaving a substantial 90% as surplus energy. Given that Australia boasts about 15 million registered passenger vehicles, this translates to a combined surplus energy potential of 720 gigawatt-hours (GW-hours), mirroring the country’s average daily electricity generation. The implications are profound: a fully electric vehicle fleet could serve as a colossal, decentralized energy storage system, maintaining nearly a full day’s worth of Australia’s electricity supply beyond our transportation needs. Such a resource could be instrumental in bolstering the grid during peak demand periods, notably the evening hours, and could facilitate a significant transition away from fossil fuel-based electricity, thereby aiding in mitigating climate change. The role of electric vehicles, therefore, extends beyond merely providing sustainable transport – they could revolutionize our energy systems and expedite our transition towards a greener, carbon-neutral society. Therefore, our initiative is showcasing the tremendous prospects of harnessing this technology.
Learner/Graduate employer impact
While this project is coordinated from the operational functions of the University, this initiative ensures that the data from this project will be available to students and researchers who want to participate with this project to gain both valuable hard skills and soft skills such as engineering, business, law, analytics, leadership and project management. All of which will be vital to their employability once they graduate and enter the workforce.
Supported by
Category finalists
Climate Action/Winners
Climate Action/Winners
Climate Action
Climate Action
