La Trobe University's Albury-Wodonga campus is well on track to being carbon neutral by 2022, with construction starting this week on a new round of solar carports.
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The carports will cover almost 30 parking spaces and add more than 270 solar panels to the campus' infrastructure - and will help to generate around 40 per cent of the campus' electricity.
The newest structure is expected to be completed by January.
Wodonga and Albury Towards Climate Health president Lauriston Muirhead welcomed the added solar panels and said while the university had an "ambitious target", they should be seen as "leaders in the field" of renewable energy.
"What is particularly impressive is that this is doing two things: it is dealing with the planet heating up, people want to put their expensive assets, their cars, in a nice shady area, but much more importantly dealing with mitigation which is reducing the problem in the future," he said.
Mr Muirhead said while La Trobe is well ahead of other big organisations in this area, there is always more to be done.
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"I think electrifying the fleet is the next step, but I think La Trobe is so far ahead of other places and I hope they see the university as a beacon to follow because there are a lot of other organisation who are well behind," he said.
Pro-Vice Chancellor Guin Threlkeld said there was an expectation on the university to reduce its carbon emissions and it was well on the way to achieving that goal in less than two years.
"It also is a great example to our students that there is always more to be done to be reducing our carbon footprint." she said.
"Our staff are already asking when they will be able to plug their electric cars directly into the carparks."
The university has a regional goal of net zero carbon emissions by 2022, and on all campuses by 2029.
