New sustainable energy facilities adorn Toowoomba’s front drive

The 'boomerangs' will form part of the Gumbi-Gumbi gardens and form part of USQ's sustainability research

Dr Tony Ahfock, Deputy Head (Electrical, Electronic & Computer Engineering) in the Faculty of Engineering and Surveying said they would assist in USQ’s sustainability initiatives and will assist teaching and research.

'The Faculty with the assistance of the Brazil Family and Facilities Management have established a solar powered and wind powered energy systems,' Dr Ahfock said.

'When they are fully operational they will feed electricity into USQ’s electricity grid, decreasing our dependency on buying electricity.

'Perhaps most importantly, it will help USQ and the Faculty in teaching and research activities as we expand our activities in energy systems and sustainable energy.'

The two energy systems will assist USQ in ongoing research into the variability of energy produced via renewable sources like wind and solar.

This variability has been a problem for alternative energy products and will need to be solved before the full benefits of alternative energy sources are realised.

The green ‘boomerangs’ will feature solar panels and will also provide a feature point in the Indigenous Gumbi-Gumbi Gardens.

The Facilities Management and the Faculty of Engineering and Surveying liaised with the Centre for Australian Indigenous Knowledges on the integration of the solar panels to the gardens.

'Having these two alternative energy systems is a big positive for USQ and the Faculty – particularly in our research activities.'

Sam Tickell, USQ Media , +61 7 4631 2559