Will You Sign?
To: Lily D’Ambrosio, Minister for Climate Action, Energy & Resources & SEC
Ben Carroll, Minister for Education & Deputy Premier
We are asking you to fund the State Electricity Commission to roll out solar and batteries on every public kinder, primary and high school in the 2026 budget.
More than 1,000 public schools across Victoria have empty roof space. Imagine if they were generating energy from the sun to help keep classrooms cool, and storing power in batteries to send to the community when school’s out.
It would mean schools pay less on their energy bills, and can spend those savings on sports gear, play equipment and other things that help kids learn and thrive.
With climate change bringing more heatwaves and bad storms, batteries could keep classrooms running during outages and power schools as community hubs during bushfires or floods.
Every Victorian would benefit from the extra clean power in the grid. Smart battery management can reduce price spikes when coal stations break down, and a statewide rollout would create jobs installing solar and batteries on school sites.
More than 400 schools already have solar panels on the roof, which shows the Victorian Government supports clean energy for students. But we can go further, ensuring every public school student, teacher and local community benefits, by including batteries and making it simpler for schools to install.
Victoria is better placed than any other state to make this happen. Our publicly owned State Electricity Commission (SEC) already supplies power to public schools and can invest directly in solar and batteries. And unlike private retailers that pass profits to shareholders, the SEC can return savings to schools and households.
So here’s the plan:
Step 1
The State Electricity Commission puts rooftop solar and batteries in every public school.
Step 2
Schools use the electricity generated from the sun during the day, at low cost.
Step 3
When students and teachers go home, the sun goes down, and energy prices increase, the batteries release energy into the grid. During hot summer holidays, our schools could help keep the whole state cooler during heatwaves, with cheap clean power.
Step 4
Over time, the rooftop solar and batteries pay for themselves, as the State Electricity Commission sells excess stored electricity back into the grid when it’s most needed.
That’s it! All we need is for the Victorian Government to cover the upfront cost of putting solar and batteries in every school, by including it in the next Victorian budget.
If you want every Victorian school to have access to clean, reliable, affordable energy, sign the petition to the Victorian Energy Minister and Education Minister. And share this petition with your school community.
Please share this campaign with your school community.
