ZEN Energy announced today Trinity College is the first school in its new South Australian Schools program. ZEN Energy is the exclusive provider of the leading Solar Schools program to young South Australians. The program is an Australian curriculum-aligned, bold, and innovative education platform that engages students in STEM-focused learning using real data from their school’s solar installation and grid consumption.

“We are delighted to be leading the way in educating for the future. We continue to build a sustainable future for our school, and this platform enables us to embed this philosophy deeper into the very fabric of Trinity College,” said Nick Hately, Head of Trinity College.

“The exclusive partnership with Solar Schools means that ZEN Energy can continue to deliver quality solar and battery installations to our school communities while enabling South Australian students to truly engage in their school’s sustainability journey, learning with real-time data. It’s like one big, exciting science experiment!” said Ross Garnaut AC, Director, ZEN Energy. “ZEN Energy is focused on building and changing communities, enabling them to actively participate in the journey to a cleaner, greener future.”

“Partnering with ZEN Energy was just the right choice for us,” said Rob Breuer, Founder of Solar Schools. “We have a shared goal of building engaged communities, and we are both Australian businesses focused on enabling the next generation driving Australia’s energy and sustainability future.”

The program incorporates advanced smart energy meters to monitor and report on the generation of electricity. Wattwatchers Digital Energy provides these as part of their My Energy Marketplace (MEM) program.

“Trinity College is a terrific anchor campus for the launch of this great new partnership between ZEN Energy and Solar Schools, and Wattwatchers is delighted to be involved through our Australia-wide MEM project supported by grant funding from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA). The national school’s target for the MEM is 250 sites, and we are excited that Trinity has led the way in South Australia,” said Wattwatchers CEO Gavin Dietz.

Trinity College worked with ZEN Energy to install a 1270kWp solar system across its three campuses.  The system enabled the College to reduce its carbon emissions by 1,323,217 kg in the first year. The solar installation will provide the real-time data for the Solar Schools program so that Trinity College students can further their understanding of solar electricity generation and how it works, as part of their school’s overall energy use, to benefit the environment.