As pressure increases to deliver lower-emission, future-ready infrastructure without blowing the budget, a key trend is emerging – moving from passive energy use to energy-active precincts. Smart developers are ditching the bolt-on approach, embedding solar, storage and flexibility into the foundation of tomorrow’s infrastructure – actively reducing energy costs, improving asset value, and unlocking new revenue streams in the process.
Lessons from the field
While many commercial precincts already incorporate rooftop solar, unlocking the full value of energy assets requires integrated planning from the outset.
In a new greenfield manufacturing precinct development in Queensland, Origin Zero is partnering with the developer to model load profiles across refrigeration, compressed air, steam and hot water. The team is also consulting on a solar and battery system that is optimised not just for self-consumption but also for grid support and market participation.
The project remains in the design stage, but the energy architecture is being designed with the future of the precinct in mind.
Elsewhere, Origin Zero is engaging with the owners of a major shopping centre to develop a proposal that includes retrofitting four existing centres to turn them into energy-active precincts, including converting one of their locations to a new embedded network set-up.
The multi-scope proposal includes installation of rooftop solar that supports local consumption and Virtual Power Plant (VPP) participation during peak demand periods.
Key technical considerations across these types of projects:
- Modelling load profiles and designing generation assets in tandem
- Sizing solar and batteries, not just for greater energy self-sufficiency but for market participation
- Aggregating sites into VPPs
- Planning for electrification of vehicles, heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) and industrial plant from the outset
- Delivering these outcomes requires expertise that spans engineering, regulation and market strategy.
That’s where energy partners like Origin Zero play a critical role, not just as technology providers but as strategic collaborators as part of precinct design.
“We’re seeing energy being pulled forward in the planning process,” Origin Zero General Manager Strategic and Enterprise Partners, Liam McWhirter, said.
“Developers want solutions that are technically robust but commercially viable, and they want to be ready for a more dynamic, decentralised grid.”
Energy as a strategic design discipline
Greenfield developments are uniquely positioned to help Australia decarbonise. They offer a blank canvas to embed renewables, storage, electrification and smart controls in a way that is integrated – not bolted on.
From a commercial perspective, precincts with smart energy infrastructure enjoy more than just lower bills.
They can also benefit from increased tenant appeal, particularly for corporates with environmental, social and governance (ESG) goals; operational resilience that protects critical functions; new revenue streams from VPPs and grid services; and longer-term asset value through future-proofed energy systems.
Why this matters now
Traditionally, energy infrastructure in developments was designed around a service brought in from the grid, delivered through standard switchgear and billed through a meter.
But that model is rapidly evolving for a number of reasons:
- Grid access is increasingly constrained – large loads and export connections can face long timelines and complex approvals
- Net zero targets are tightening – greenfield projects without a decarbonisation pathway may struggle to secure financing or tenants
- The grid is evolving – flexible assets like batteries and controllable loads that can be enrolled into VPPs are becoming increasingly important
By treating energy as part of early-stage infrastructure, not a post-construction retrofit, the industry can design sites that are more energy-efficient to operate and ready to flex with a dynamic grid.
For developers looking to reduce long-term costs and differentiate their assets, now is the time to design with smarter, more flexible energy solutions in mind.
For more information, visit originenergy.com.au/enterprise