This paper presents a systematic analysis of energy savings and cost benefits associated with several options for integrating energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies. The primary goal of this study is to assess the cost-effectiveness of a...
This research investigated the real-world operational performance of five purposely designed and built net-zero-energy houses in Melbourne, Australia. The embodied energy and carbon emissions of these houses were calculated based on their architectur...
Redox flow batteries (RFBs) are known for their exceptional attributes, including remarkable energy efficiency of up to 80%, an extended lifespan, safe operation, low environmental contamination concerns, sustainable recyclability, and easy scalabili...
The Australian built environment is pivotal to achieving national net-zero targets, yet progress remains slow due to fragmented policy frameworks, low retrofit adoption, and uneven integration of emerging technologies. Despite these challenges, littl...
Recent events within the Australian National Electricity Market have demonstrated that the system of an energy-only market (a market that only compensates power that has been produced) is no longer fit for purpose. The rate of change in installed cap...
Australia’s transition toward net-zero emissions (NZE) requires the integration of renewable energy (RE) sources with substantially different capacity requirements and operational characteristics. However, existing transition assessments provid...
Commitments to carbon neutrality at both international and national levels have spurred the development of market-based mechanisms that incentivize low-carbon technologies while penalizing emissions-intensive activities. These policies have wide rang...
A particle scale model based on a full two-way coupling of the Discrete Element Method (DEM) and Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPHs) methods is applied to SAG mills. Motion and collisions of resolved coarser particles within an SAG mill are perfor...
The study aims to identify optimum retrofitting strategies that mitigate climate change and support Australia’s net-zero emissions target by 2050. Current heating and cooling demands, as well as the energy performance of three stand-alone house...
Businesses are increasingly declaring their operations to be “carbon neutral” or “net-zero”. But how real are these claims? We investigated the climate mitigation efforts of the eight leading universities in Australia and disc...
The achievement of net-zero emissions is a major governmental challenge to ameliorate the adverse impacts of climate change, and to reduce the health risks associated with poor air quality. In Australia, the transport sector is a major contributor to...
As the pursuit of greener energy solutions continues, industries worldwide are turning away from fossil fuels and exploring the development of sustainable alternatives to meet their energy requirements. As a signatory to the Paris Agreement, Australi...
Achieving the net zero emissions target that was set in the Paris Agreement to mitigate the risks of climate change seems increasingly difficult as countries and sectors of the economy are falling behind the expected trajectory. The building and cons...
Existing office buildings in Australia contribute to 24% of the nation’s electricity consumption and 10% of greenhouse gas emissions, with energy use projected to rise by 84%. Meeting the 2050 sustainability target and United Nations (UN) 17 Su...
Communal living for older people exists in many different forms, such as suburban communities, lifestyle communities, retirement villages and residential aged care communities (RAC) where electricity is supplied via a main gate meter to the whole com...
The construction industry is one of the largest producers of greenhouse gases, accounting for 38% of global carbon emissions. Recently, interest in mass timber construction has grown, due to its potential benefits in reducing environmental impact com...
The augmentation of clean energy usage is necessary to achieve Australia’s net zero emission target. New South Wales has proposed renewable energy zones (REZs) to align with this target and aims to retire coal-based energy production plants. Si...
This paper introduces a comprehensive sustainability assessment framework integrating Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment (LCSA) with Scenario Planning and Sensitivity Analysis, using the alumina industry as a case study. Current sustainability fram...
Governments across the world are facing challenges in urgently responding to the adverse impacts of climate change. Australian cities have been proactively working on various climate action plans. Despite this, the Climate Action Tracker rates Austra...
Innovative mechanical services coupled with renewable energy systems are crucial for achieving a net zero energy goal for houses. Conventional systems tend to be vastly oversized because they lack the means to buffer energy flows and are based on pea...
Australia aims to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, and its building sector needs rapid change. The Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme (NatHERS) is supported by the Australian Government to expand the current building envelope thermal performanc...
As global momentum builds toward decarbonisation, green hydrogen has emerged as a key pillar in Australia’s transition to a net-zero emissions future. However, the freshwater demands of large-scale electrolysis poses a significant social hurdle...
Australia aims to achieve net zero emissions by 2050, with an interim target of reducing emissions to 43% below 2005 levels by 2030. Electrification of industry processes currently reliant on fossil fuels is a necessary step to achieve these emission...
Hydrogen production has been dominated by gray hydrogen (hydrogen produced from fossil fuels without carbon capture). Historical data for 2019–2021 show nearly steady global production of and demand for hydrogen, with an annual average of 92 Mt...
Thursday Island, a remote administrative hub in Australia’s Torres Strait, exemplifies the socio-technical challenges of transitioning to sustainable energy amid diesel dependence and the intermittency of renewables. As Australia pursues Net Ze...
The transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy requires cooperation from all, including corporations, shareholders, and institutional investors. The purpose of this paper is to explore climate change litigation risks for Australian energy compa...
Under the current energy crisis and climate change, sustainable urban planning and building design are a priority to achieve a net-zero future, as energy use in buildings for thermal comfort is one of the major carbon emission contributors. To adapt...
Transitioning to clean energy in off-grid remote locations is essential to reducing fossil-fuel-generated greenhouse gas emissions and supporting renewable energy growth. While hybrid renewable energy systems (HRES), including multiple renewable ener...
Optimal charge scheduling of electric vehicles in solar-powered charging stations based on day-ahead forecasting of solar power generation is proposed in this paper. The proposed algorithm’s major objective is to schedule EV charging based on t...
There has been a call for the construction industry to become more energy efficient in its planning and activities, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to help combat climate change. The Australian Building Codes Board has implemented ‘Energy Ef...
The energy transition for a net-zero future will require deep decarbonisation that hydrogen is uniquely positioned to facilitate. This technoeconomic study considers renewable hydrogen production, transmission and storage for energy networks using th...
Achieving net zero relies on siting large-scale solar and wind where they are cheapest and most socially acceptable. We present a transferable, evidence-based siting framework and apply it to Australia. The landscape is divided into millions of 250 m...
Landfilling organic waste generates greenhouse gases and contributes to climate change. While the management of organic waste has been identified by all tiers of Australian government as paramount to meeting net zero emissions targets, diversion of d...
The transport sector is a significant contributor to global emissions. In Australia, it is the third largest source of greenhouse gases and is responsible for around 17% of emissions with passenger cars accounting for around half of all transport emi...
Human behaviour is a major driver and determinant of household energy consumption, with routines and practices shaping daily energy profiles. These routines and practices are made up of individual lifestyles and other contextual factors that vary fro...
Embodied carbon is a buzzword in the construction industry. Australia is committed to achieving Net Zero 2050 targets, and minimizing embodied carbon (EC) is inevitable. Owing to the population growth, there will be a significant demand for residenti...
Australia consumes approximately 29 million m3 of concrete each year with an estimated embodied carbon (EC) of 12 Mt CO2e. High consumption of concrete makes it critical for successful decarbonization to support the achievement of ‘Net Zero 205...
Extensive studies have examined the financial performance of green buildings in recent years. The results have frequently observed that the premium of green buildings is time-varying and dependent on the study period and markets being examined. Furth...
There is a growing interest in green hydrogen, with researchers, institutions, and countries focusing on its development, efficiency improvement, and cost reduction. This paper explores the concept of green hydrogen and its production process using r...
Sustainability credentialling is the communication of environmental, social, economic, or animal-welfare-related information about a producer or product. Demand for sustainability credentials has been increasing and the aim of this study was to descr...
Australia is committed to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050, a goal that may require a major transformation of the household energy sector. Hydrogen can, however, be deployed as a complementary energy source to electricity by displacing natural ga...
The building and construction sector is a major contributor to global energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, underscoring the need for material-level strategies to minimise environmental impacts throughout the building life cycle. This stud...
Australia, like many other countries around the world, is undergoing a transition toward net zero emissions. It requires changes and development in many sectors, which not only bring benefits but also challenges. The rapid growth in renewable energy...
Many countries have started their transition to a net-zero economy. Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) play an ever-increasing role towards this transition as a rechargeable energy storage medium. Initially, LIBs were developed for consumer electronics and...
The imperative of achieving net zero carbon emissions is driving the transition to renewable energy sources. However, this often leads to carbon tunnel vision by narrowly focusing on carbon metrics and overlooking broader sustainability impacts. To e...
This study presents a novel integrative review of 329 review articles on sustainable buildings from 2015 to 2025, combining quantitative bibliometrics with qualitative insights to map the field’s evolution and pinpoint critical future pathways....
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BackTrack is a multi-component, community-based program designed to build capacity amongst high-risk young people. The aim of this study was to conduct a benefit-cost analysis of BackTrack, which was implemented in Armidale, a rural town in New South...
With increasing pressure to ensure that sustainability features in homes are commercially viable, demonstration projects are vital to highlight the real-world challenges and opportunities for innovation. This paper documents the incorporation of sust...
Water utilities use a significant amount of electrical energy due to the rising demand for wastewater treatment driven by environmental and economic reasons. The growing demand for energy, rising energy costs, and the drive toward achieving net-zero...
Rising atmospheric CO2 levels pose a critical challenge to achieving global sustainability targets. Geological carbon sequestration (GCS) offers a long-term solution for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, but its large-scale deployment faces limitati...
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