Solar and batteries for all NSW public schools: Labor motion passed

At the recent NSW Labor Conference (held over the weekend of 4–5 July), a motion was passed calling for a comprehensive rollout of solar generation and battery storage at every public school and early learning centre in New South Wales.

Parents for Climate, Future Ready Schools and the NSW/ACT Electrical Trades Union (ETU) supported the motion, saying that a statewide rollout would create thousands of jobs and give students a real-world opportunity to learn about clean energy.

“This is a commonsense move that would not only provide schools and day cares with clean energy, but would also provide around 2000 new local jobs,” said Electrical Trades Union (ETU) NSW Secretary Allen Hicks.

“What better way to show the kids of NSW what the future of clean energy looks like — and what a career in the clean energy industry can look like — than to have solar and batteries installed in their very own school.

“This move would be a win for our kids, a win for local jobs and a win for the community as a whole.”

According to modelling by Beyond Zero Emissions in 2020, large schools could save around $114,000 per year on energy bills.

“Battery storage means schools can keep the lights and air conditioning on during blackouts, and can feed stored energy back into the grid during peak demand periods. This would help to lower power prices for the whole community,” said Nic Seton, CEO of Parents for Climate.

Seton added that, with New South Wales having the largest public education system in the Southern Hemisphere, a coordinated rollout across every public school and preschool would be one of the largest distributed clean energy projects in the country’s history.

“Passing the motion is the right first step. Now we want to see the NSW Government commit to funding it. Parents across the state will be watching, and they will be cheering the government on,” he said.

Parents for Climate, Future Ready Schools and the NSW ETU said they were looking forward to working with the NSW Government, the Department of Education, and school and early learning communities to make this a reality.

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