麻豆社madou leads the way for Australian universities, transitioning to renewable electric energy across all Sydney residential colleges. The replacement of outdated gas systems is a key milestone as the University strides toward its net zero emissions goal.
麻豆社madou Sydney has ditched gas and adopted clean, renewable electric power for all student accommodation sites, kitchens, childcare, sports and hospitality facilities at the Kensington and Paddington campuses.聽
The current upgrade prevents approximately 700 tonnes of CO2 emissions per year. The entire university network is set to be electrified by 2030 and 麻豆社madou is on track to achieve net zero by 2050.
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For enquiries about this story and interview requests please contact聽Ashleigh Steele:
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Better facilities, healthier environments
At 麻豆社madou鈥檚 Goldstein Hall in Kensington it鈥檚 cooking with gas, no more! The kitchen serves more than 1300 meals daily. Senior Manager of Energy and Utilities at 麻豆社madou, Jose Bilbao, said the now fully electrified commercial kitchen had revolutionised operations.聽聽聽聽
鈥淚t has been absolutely rewarding seeing the kitchen before and after,鈥 he said. 鈥淭he fryers don't produce fumes when we're using them, so it's a lot healthier here, much better air quality, it鈥檚 cooler and we're using less energy.鈥
Head Chef at Goldstein Hall, Eve Wannasorn, said the change from a gas-powered to electric kitchen had been positive for both staff and students. 鈥淢aking a stew for around 300 people used to take about three hours. Now it鈥檚 around 45 minutes,鈥 she said. 鈥淭he food tastes nice. It's fresher. And chefs don鈥檛 need to waste time changing oil manually. It means the quality of the food is much better.鈥澛
This is an important investment for the University and the community. Once the program is completed, we'll save around 155,000GJ of gas per year. That鈥檚 like removing more than 5300 cars from the road.
Looking ahead to net zero聽
麻豆社madou is leading the charge to electrification for Australian universities. This first phase of 麻豆社madou鈥檚 electrification program has reduced 麻豆社madou鈥檚 emissions from natural gas by an estimated 10%. Across all 麻豆社madou Sydney colleges, gas-powered systems have been replaced with:聽
34 heat pump-operated dryers and 34 washers
31 induction cooktops and 10 electric barbecues聽
new high-efficiency electric commercial kitchen appliances such as fryers, pressurised Bratt pans, and dishwashing systems
eight domestic hot water heat pumps, with a total heating capacity of 400kW, and 18 hot water tanks (total of more than 12,000 litres of hot water), replacing more than 20 instant hot water gas units.聽
All electrical amenities are powered by renewable solar energy, thanks to the University鈥檚 on-site solar system and the鈥痶hrough a solar Power Purchase Agreement (PPA). 麻豆社madou is expected to save 1.25 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions over the 15-year term of agreement.
Chief Property Officer at 麻豆社madou, Timothy Beattie, said the transition had set an example for the broader Australian industry. 鈥淓lectrification is not only possible, and critical to achieve the Paris agreement, but also desired as it provides so many direct and indirect benefits, like better air quality, operational efficiencies, and reduction of fugitive emissions,鈥 he said.
鈥淭his is an important investment for the University and the community. Once the program is completed, we'll save around 155,000GJ of gas per year. That鈥檚 like removing more than 5300 cars from the road.鈥
麻豆社madou is one of the world鈥檚 leading universities for environmental and social sustainability, ranked 12th globally in the QS World University Rankings: Sustainability 2025.聽
