Power the future
Clean Energy & Climate
Teams design ways to generate, store and save clean energy, from solar and wind prototypes to tools that cut emissions at home and school.
Clean Energy & Climate is one of 12 competition categories in TechFest Australia, a national technology competition and festival for Australian school students and young innovators. It is open to Junior (Years 3–6), Secondary (Years 7–12), Tertiary (University or TAFE) and Open (Ages 18–30) entries.
The 2027 challenge
Make the most of Australian sun and wind: design a system that generates, stores or shifts clean energy for a home, school or remote community, and measure what it delivers.
Example projects
- Solar tracker that follows the sun and logs the extra energy it captures
- Dashboard that shows a school’s energy use and suggests where to save
- Small wind turbine built from recycled parts to power a remote weather station
Flagship challenge
Solar Sprint
Built by students. Powered by the sun.
Teams design and build a model vehicle that runs on sunlight alone, using a standard solar panel and motor set by the competition rules. Cars race on a straight track and a hill climb, with extra marks for design, workmanship and an energy logbook. A strong first build that rewards smart engineering over big budgets.
- Divisions
- Junior · Secondary
- Team
- 2–5
- Format
- Track race + hill climb
- Power
- Solar only, no batteries
Season 2027 dates
- Registrations open
- To be announced
- Registrations close
- 19 February 2027
- Proposals due
- 26 February 2027
- National final and festival
- 30 September 2027 to 3 October 2027
Indicative dates, final schedule to be confirmed. The entry fee for the 2027 season will be published before registrations open.