The University of Tasmania and Hydro Tasmania have signalled a renewed commitment to building a resilient Tasmania that will thrive into the future.
A new Strategic Collaboration Agreement, signed this week, lays out three key focus areas that will help support Tasmania to become a global leader in sustainability: skills and future workforce, research and development, and community engagement.
For more than a century, collaboration between the two organisations has driven economic development and progress in climate science, renewable energy, environmental conservation, and biological sciences.
Global leadership in sustainability is Tasmania's future. Hydro and the University of Tasmania are making a strategic commitment to ensure Tasmania retains that leadership for the good of all Tasmanians and of the planet.
Through research, innovation and education, the teams will exchange talent, equipment and expertise to make this partnership deliver for our planet at a time where a climate crisis is putting pressure on our communities and environments.
"We are transitioning our engineering research and teaching to a Climate Safe Engineering focus, which will enable the expansion of knowledge in this field and allow us to make even more of a real difference in this space alongside our Hydro Tasmania partners," Professor Black said.
"There is already a steady flow of high-impact research and training that our teams are delivering across hydraulics, pumped hydro storage, reservoirs, energy dispatch systems and integration of other renewable sources for a future highly interconnected electricity market.
"We are also working together in the almost $10-million ARC Industrial Transformation Training Centre of Future Grids Technology, which is helping to develop a skilled workforce specialised in clean energy for Australia," Professor Black said.
Hydro Tasmania CEO Rachel Watson said the business was proud of its long and impactful relationship with the University of Tasmania.
"As two of Tasmania's longest standing institutions, this formal agreement will deepen the impact of our collaboration both in Tasmania and beyond – there are exciting opportunities ahead," Ms Watson said.
"Together, we're leading environmental research, giving back to the community, and training the scientists and engineers who will continue to secure Tasmania's position as a leader in the renewable energy industry."
