Trigeneration
Trigeneration
The City of Sydney plans to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 70% by 2030. Trigeneration could help us to reach this goal.
Trigeneration is an environmentally sustainable method of generating electricity.
It is more than twice as energy efficient as coal power stations because it uses the waste heat from electricity production in both heating and cooling.
Today 80% of the City of Sydney’s greenhouse gas emissions come from coal-fired power plants.
Trigeneration could reduce greenhouse gas pollution in connected buildings by 40 to 60% compared to coal-fired power.
How trigeneration works
A trigeneration engine runs on natural or renewable gases and produces low-carbon electricity, heating and air-conditioning for connected buildings.
The engine, which is about the size of a shipping container, generates heat that is captured to make hot water. The hot water can be distributed to nearby buildings by a network of underground pipes.
A secondary piece of equipment, an absorption chiller, can be positioned in each connected building to convert the hot water into chilled water for use in air-conditioning.
Trigeneration can save you money
Nearly half of your electricity bill is the cost of transporting the power from one place to another. Electricity travels through power lines from the Hunter Valley to Sydney. Known as network charges, these fees are set to increase by 80% over the next 2 years.
The City’s proposed trigeneration network could save up to $1.5 billion that has been set aside for new coal power plants and upgrades to the electricity grid. The flow-on effect could mean savings for all NSW homes and businesses. Trigeneration is already in use in other parts of the world, but the City’s planned trigeneration precinct would be one of the first in Australia.
The other Allan Jones
The City recruited former chief executive of the London Climate Change Agency and sustainable energy expert Allan Jones to help meet its greenhouse gas reduction target. His previous work reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 80% in the English borough of Woking.
Allan is also supervising the rollout of sustainable energy programs across the City’s 200 properties and has set up a $2 million a year renewable energy installation fund.
Links
Sydney 2030: Powering Sydney
Last updated: Tuesday, 18 June 2013