Sustainable power solution transforms classrooms into hives of energy

With changes to national electricity markets and a growing community desire to embrace environmentally sustainable practices, Australian schools must consider how to meet their future energy needs.

In the past, schools have had to address energy insufficiencies by upgrading their grid power supply — a costly and time-consuming process that goes against the values of school communities that want to implement sustainable practices. School energy demands are likely to continue increasing as student populations grow, temperatures rise and more attention is focused on the internal classroom environment.

In response to the challenge of how to best power the nation’s schools, Hivve Technology has developed a comprehensive and sustainable energy solution that will allow schools to reduce their reliance on grid-sourced power. The alternative clean energy solution avoids the economic, environmental and social costs of grid-supplied electricity.

The Hivve system generates energy from solar PV panels, which is combined with battery storage and classroom-level energy measurement and control. This allows classrooms within a school to be managed as a network, creating an on-site power supply. As classrooms are added to the Hivve network, the school becomes more energy self-sufficient and less reliant on grid power. In most cases, the Hivve system is a lower capital- and operating-cost alternative to grid-supplied electricity.

Hivve iQ — the technology at the heart of the Hivve system — monitors and reports classroom conditions in real time. Data on temperature, air quality, energy generation and use is captured, allowing teachers, students and the school community to actively engage with their environment. The benefit of this capability is reinforced by research on the impact of the indoor environment on learning, which demonstrates that comfortable temperatures, healthy air quality and thoughtful design are major contributors to good educational outcomes.

Hivve’s classroom-by-classroom approach is designed to suit any type of classroom or learning area, so that all classrooms in a school, regardless of age or design, can be Hivve enabled, allowing school-wide management of energy use and learning conditions.

For new-build projects, Hivve Technology has created an advanced modular classroom — The Hivve — providing schools with a green, zero-net-energy learning space that is scalable, flexible and fast.

David Wrench, Executive Director of Hivve Technology, will discuss the sustainable energy solution in more depth at the National Clean Technologies Conference & Exhibition, being held from 29–31 May 2019 on the Sunshine Coast. Click here for more information.

Image courtesy of Hivve Technology.