Solar and battery-powered classrooms are paving the way for Australian schools to be off-grid, an energy expert says.
Developed by local start-up Hivve, the solar and battery system trial involving three classrooms was partly funded with a $370,000 grant from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency.
The system uses solar panels and batteries to provide electricity, while slashing thousands from school power bills.
The first off-grid version of the system was unveiled in Brisbane on Thursday by federal Energy Minister Angus Taylor, who said the project created affordable, reliable power while reducing emissions.
"These off-grid applications ... are really good examples of how we can get energy costs down for Australians living in the most remote communities," Mr Taylor told reporters at Brisbane's Bracken Ridge High School.
Hivve CEO Darren Wrench said the classroom had been operating for five months "without missing a beat", with a Tesla Powerwall battery system storing excess power.
Each Hivve classroom can power five other classrooms, he says.
"It's clearly possible, and we've demonstrated that quite consistently, that it's possible to have completely off-grid schools," Mr Wrench told AAP on Thursday.
The two NSW-based trial classrooms are connected back into the school's network, he adds, with one school saving $3000 from its quarterly power bill.
"They have been generating quite a surplus of power, about five or six times what they've been using," he said.
"So that power has been going in to offset the school's energy bills."
The NSW classrooms have been successfully running since the start of the year, through different seasons and power demands.
The system powers air conditioning, lights, projectors and computers, while also displaying the room's energy systems - including indoor and outdoor temperatures, air quality, humidity and CO2 levels.
One of the NSW high schools trialling the program has developed a STEM program for its students around the system itself, Mr Wrench says.
The technology can be retrofitted into various classroom types, with schools in South Australia, NSW and Queensland set to have rooms ready for the start of the 2019 school year.
