- Posted on 24 Nov 2025
- 3 minutes read
UTS has flicked the switch to 100 percent renewable electricity on campus.
A new 10-year agreement with clean energy provider Flow Power will provide renewable energy directly sourced from NSW solar and wind farms that will closely match UTS’s electricity consumption.
The agreement is a major step in the plan for UTS to become climate positive by 2029.
“UTS has long been a leader in clean energy and sustainability. We were the first university in Australia to complete a power purchase agreement with a solar farm back in 2015 and an early adopter of on-site solar installations,” said Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Andrew Parfitt.
“Now, we’re taking the next step on our journey towards becoming the first Australian university to be climate positive by signing this renewable energy agreement.”
As well as supporting the local clean energy industry, the deal will mean UTS reduces its net carbon emissions by 90 percent and makes significant savings on its energy costs.
"Through this deal, we're not only reducing our carbon footprint but also delivering cost savings that can be reinvested in our core mission of education and research at a time when every dollar counts," he said.
UTS already draws electricity from thousands of solar panels on the Broadway campus buildings and at TechLab in Botany.
The rest of its electricity will now be sourced through a retail power purchase agreement that is backed by a blend of renewable energy from ACEN Australia’s New England Solar project in northern NSW and BJCE Australia’s Gullen Range Wind Farm south-west of Sydney, that closely align with UTS’s energy load profile on an annual basis.
The agreement includes the purchase of large-scale generation certificates that will be retired each year, ensuring every megawatt-hour claimed as renewable is directly linked to measurable, independently-verified generation from the two specific renewable projects.
UTS is also investing in on-site battery storage and other initiatives to reduce peak demand and improve energy efficiency.
“This is a positive move for UTS which reflects our deep commitment to creating a sustainable future but we’re not finished yet,” said Professor Parfitt.
“We’ll continue to move forward on our plans to become net zero by the end of this year and climate positive within the next four years.”