HIVVE Sustainable Modular Classrooms
- $334k Funded by ARENA
- $702k Total project cost
Summary
The HIVVE Sustainable Modular Classrooms project aims to actively manage energy demands and control indoor environment quality. The 12-month trial will involve the construction and installation of a single HIVVE classroom including a monitoring and evaluation period.
Area of innovation
The HIVVE Sustainable Modular Classrooms project presents an opportunity to incorporate solar PV and energy management into a modular classroom. This opportunity may set a standard for uptake within the education sector more broadly.
At present portable classrooms represent a large portion of school buildings. Based on EPB estimates, portable classrooms have a useful life of up to 50 years. With potential Australian education systems looking to replace existing portable classrooms, this may represent an opportunity to provide a long-term energy efficient option (compared to currently available options).
This project consists of:
Learn more
Video: HIVVE Sustainable Modular Classrooms
Building on the success of Hivve’s first two solar portables installed at Dapto High and Sydney’s St Christopher’s Primary, a third renewable energy powered classroom has opened at Bracken Ridge High School in suburban Brisbane
Image: HIVVE Classroom
HIVVE Sustainable Modular Classroom.
Media Release: Classrooms Powered by Renewable Energy to be Trialled in NSW Schools
School children across Australia could soon be taught in classrooms powered entirely by renewable energy as a result of the innovative ‘Hivve’ modular classroom, now being trialled in two New South Wales schools.
Benefit
The HIVVE Sustainable Modular Classrooms project incorporates solar PV generation, real time energy metering, C02 metering, data capture and communications to the overall function.
Each HIVVE classroom has the potential to generate enough electricity to power itself and two other classrooms in the school. Therefore, as a comparison,
- energy consumption for 3 regular non HIVVE classrooms is 11,400 KWh per year (baseline comparison)
- energy consumption for 3 classrooms when 1 of the classroom is a HIVVE classroom is 0
- when all 3 classrooms are HIVVE classrooms, there is an estimated net energy generation of 22,800 KWh (7,600 KWh per classroom) per year (ie export).
Therefore, in the instance where 3 HIVVE classrooms are installed, instead of one classroom consuming 3,800 KWh per year, that one classroom will now generate 7,600 KWh per year.
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