UWS Energy Initiatives

SURF Projects

The Sustainable UWS Rolling Fund (surf) program funds sustainability projects that are developed, managed and implemented by UWS staff and students.

SURF Interactive Keypads To Save The Forests
The purchase of and trial of keypads for survey and data collection within the Educational Excellence and Equity Research Program to reduce paper use.

Solar Energy Technologies Group

The new UWS Solar Energy Technologies Group (SETG) is advancing environmentally clean fuel (solar-hydrogen) and water purification technologies to mitigate climate change.  

Climate Change and Energy Research

The Climate Change and Energy Research (CCER) facility seeks to provide empirical data to assess the impact of climate change on Australia's land and water resources and assist the nation to adapt to a carbon-constrained economy.

Kingswood Solar Project

The Solar Project at Kingswood campus has dedicated over 200 solar panels which generate almost 7% of the electricity requirements for the site. The Solar Panel Generation Display Unit can be found in the main foyer of Building K and displays the energy used and saved through the use of the solar panels. For further information on the project please contact Tilak Nanayakkara.

Earth Hour Research

UWS is the first university to have an official research partnership with Earth Hour. The research will focus on understanding the ongoing impact of Earth Hour and seek to bridge the gap between environmental awareness and sustained behavioural change. Read more on Earth Hour Research (PDF, 97Kb)

Energy Efficiency on campus

UWS installs energy efficient devices in building upgrades when ever possible. This includes solar passive design elements as well as a move to more energy efficient devices. Read more on Energy Efficiency on campus

Greening UWS IT Program

IT is integral to the business of UWS. With server rooms growing and electricity costs rising, IT management at UWS and how it is implemented has an important role to play in environmental sustainability. Read more Greening UWS IT Program (PDF, 52Kb)

UWS Connect Fitness

UWSConnect Fitness gyms are working at being sustainable while you are working towards getting fit. Read more about UWSConnect Fitness initiatives (PDF, 94Kb).

Energy projects at other universities and colleges

• Use of solar energy - for example see Arizona State University (opens in a new window)
• Use of biomass to produce energy - for example see University of Iowa (opens in a new window)
• Upgrading buildings to be more energy efficient - for example see University of Chicago (opens in a new window) 
• Students and staff energy challenge - for example see Dickinson College (opens in a new window)
• Energy conservation - for example see Macquarie University website (opens in a new window) 

If your section of UWS is addressing any of these areas or additional ones, please let us know by emailing us at sustainability@uws.edu.au