A tropical island off Queensland's Capricorn coast is the first in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park to become carbon negative. Konomie North Keppel Island is home to an environmental education centre that sees thousands of students visit every year, for school camp.
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00:00 An island paradise off central Queensland, Konomi North Keppel Island is also a classroom.
00:07 Rather than being within four walls, those students are out here on the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park in Wapumbara country,
00:15 learning about climate change, the Great Barrier Reef, collecting scientific data.
00:22 The island's environmental education centre is run by the Queensland Government.
00:27 It has spent $1.4 million to power the largest renewable energy system built on a state school site,
00:36 including 258 solar panels, 36 lithium phosphate batteries, a wind turbine and backup generator.
00:45 We are now fully off the grid and it is the first island in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park that is carbon negative.
00:53 The average Queensland home these days uses around 21, 22 kilowatt hours, so 450 kilowatt hours,
01:01 that's a lot of homes that this system can provide energy for.
01:05 Two and a half thousand students visit this island every year.
01:09 The new energy system will be used to power their stays and as an educational resource to teach them about renewables.
01:18 Wapumbara traditional owners say they're proud of the island's progress.
01:23 I think it's wonderful here now and for the future.
01:27 I think it's amazing, you know, how this education centre and what the education department is doing to make us so sustainable.
01:34 It's hoped the system can be used as a blueprint for other island developments.
01:39 developments.
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