CQU scoops $1M in disaster preparedness funding
CQUniversity has been named the successful recipient of more than $1 million in the latest round of the Queensland Resilience and Risk Reduction Fund.
Led by CQUniversity Professor Jamshid Aghaei, the Driving Resilience: Harnessing Green Mobile Energy Hubs (GMEHs) for Electrical Distribution Network and Displaced Communities Resilience project aims to design green mobile energy hubs to enhance electricity network resilience during natural disasters.
CQUniversity Director for the Centre for Hydrogen and Renewable Energy Paul Hodgson welcomed the funding.
“This is a fantastic announcement,” Mr Hodgson said.
“CQUniversity is focused on research with impact, and I’m delighted that the Federal and Queensland Governments are supporting this important, impactful research being undertaken through our Centre.”
MEHs are mobile power units installed on trucks that can be used in both stationary and mobile applications.
Professor Aghaei said GMEHs were strategically positioned to deliver power to isolated critical loads within disaster-affected zones.
“The approach is aimed at maximising the restoration of vital services while minimising downtime, ultimately providing a robust solution to the society and industry's pressing challenge of safeguarding critical infrastructure during and after natural disasters,” Professor Aghaei said.
“While ensuring temporary isolation of larger portions of the network can be handled using GMEHs, it is also important to effectively address the disaster resilience of families and communities that get displaced into temporary shelters such as school buildings and disaster management centres,” he said.
The CQUniversity funding will develop mobile green power units that are installed on trucks, strategically positioned to supply isolated and displaced critical loads within flood or cyclone-affected zones, minimising downtime and ensuring the continuous operation of essential services.
“Recognising the potential cascading effect of natural disasters on multiple systems, the project will take a comprehensive approach and will involve modelling and optimising the allocation and routing of GMEHs in both pre- and post-flood scenarios in both long-term planning and short-term operationally strategic planning frameworks.”
The project’s partner organisations include Energy Queensland, the Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads and Linked Group Services.
“We know resilient Queensland communities are stronger communities and more likely to recover quickly from extreme weather and natural disasters,” Queensland Disaster Recovery Minister Nikki Boyd said.
