ANU campuses have a rich history of natural and cultural landscapes. These places, first managed by Australian First Nations, have changed throughout the centuries and decades to support our extraordinary teaching, learning and research activities. The main ANU campus in Acton, Australian Capital Territory (ACT), hosts buildings and facilities, new and old, that speak to this long history of academic pursuits. ANU supports teaching and research outside of the ACT in several locations across New South Wales and the Northern Territory, including our Rural Clinical Schools and Siding Springs Observatory.
We aim to reduce these sites' environmental impact by removing the need for fossil fuels in our operations. Primarily, we are reducing our emissions by transitioning from natural gas-powered technologies to electric ones and continually increasing our capacity for renewable energy generation on our campuses. Read about these projects and more by following the links below.
Quick links
Electrification of gas infrastructure
We must reduce our reliance on fossil fuels to reach our below zero ambition. Electrifying our campus means replacing natural-gas-powered infrastructure with renewable-energy-powered electric systems. We are prioritising buildings with gas boilers at, or coming to, the end of their useful life, aligning with a sustainable transition strategy for our campus. Removing gas-powered boilers from our buildings will drastically reduce our campus' greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs).
2023
- Four buildings (CSIT, Gould Wing, Banks and Heavy Ion 2A buildings) on our Acton Campus were transitioned from gas boilers to air-cooled heat pumps, contributing to an estimated 253 tCO2e per annum reduction. Read more about this project.
- The Acton Campus Decarbonisation Master Plan (CDMP) – design phase is completed. Next steps - investigate funding pathways and implementation options.
2024
- Five more buildings (School of Music, M & N block, Drill Hall Gallery, and Peter Karmel Buildings) had electric heating infrastructure installed, taking the total number of electrified buildings to eight, with the total per annum emissions reductions from heat pumps reaching 700 tCO2e. The School of Music heating system was replaced with an electric-powered, water-cooled heat pump system, utilising waste heat and serving the adjacent Peter Karmel building. This system is a test bench for thermal energy generation that is being proposed on a campus scale within the CDMP.
- Planning and approval have progressed on electrifying Mount Stromlo campus.
- CDMP Discovery Proposal - developed implementation options with indicative costing pathways.
- Two more buildings are having their end-of-life gas-boilers removed, replaced with heating pipework connections to existing thermal energy hubs (Hancock East and Hayden Allen).
- University House is currently being electrified with heat pumps for heating and an all-electric kitchen.
Transition to renewable electricity
Increasing our renewable energy sources is essential to power our campus with clean energy.
2024
- Installation and repair of solar photovoltaic (PV) rooftop systems on the Acton campus – As part of the repair works from the 2020 hailstorm, the University repaired and installed several new solar PV systems throughout 2023 and 2024. These works contribute to a total of 1.125 MW of renewable energy generation on campus. Read more about the installation of our PV systems on campus.
Electric vehicles and charging
Transitioning to electric vehicles is essential to reduce emissions associated with the ANU fleet and support our community in reducing emissions when using ANU vehicles. Supportive infrastructure is also vital for this transition, which is why we are supporting the rollout of high speed and publicly accessible chargers across ANU campuses. Making these chargers publicly available also ensures ANU plays a role in supporting the ANU and broader Canberra communities in choosing green vehicle options.
2024
- Research and development of the University's approach to ground transport - preliminary discussion paper on feasibility and market availability in Australia for standard and non-standard EVs, and analysis of non-fleet charging models. Next steps, ANU EV fleet implementation strategy in final stages of development.
- Six public fast chargers installed next to the School of Art and Design (part of the ACT Government’s Public EV Charging Infrastructure Fund). Read more about the six fast chargers installed in June 2024.
- Grant awarded for four more public fast EV charger. Next steps, installation in late 2024/ early 2025.
- Purchase of an electric street sweeper for ANU campus. Come back soon to read more about the newest addition to our Landscape and Conservation team.