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			22 November 2008




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Green transformers could generate electricity in the City

26 March 2008

Imagine a future where coal-free power is generated in the City to provide electricity to power, heat and cool your home.

This is one of the project ideas in the City of Sydney's Sustainable Sydney 2030 vision unveiled today following 12-months of consultation with tens of thousands of Sydneysiders. The draft plan will considered by Council on Monday 7 April for public exhibition from April 17 as part of the final phase of the public consultation.

Led by the City of Sydney, and guided by community input, a team of Sydney's best urban designers, architects and planners have put together the strategy which includes plans to remove Sydney's dependency on coal-fired electricity and increase its self-sufficiency.

"Climate change is accelerating, and we must take action to reduce or emissions and our dependency on coal and other greenhouse pollutants. It is exciting that this project is possible achievable and not that far away," Lord Mayor Clover Moore MP said.

Under the plan, climate change experts and policy advisors Kinesis, lead by Bruce Taper, Nick Rowley and George Cole have put forward proposals to use a system of integrated Green Transformers to provide low-carbon energy.

"Instead of burning coal in massive power plants and then distributing that electricity across the state, this plan proposes locating a number of Green Transformers around the City's Centre and its villages," Ms Moore said.

"Instead of burning coal, the Green Transformers would initially be fuelled by natural gas to generate electricity. The heat and water from the generation process is then captured, providing free hot water, heating and cooling. Converting from coal to natural gas would instantly drop CO2 emissions by more than half.

"In the long-term instead of burning natural gas, the Green Transformers could burn methane gas harvested from household waste.

"The benefits are obvious and include reduced air pollution from coal-burning, lower greenhouse emissions, free hot water, free heating, free cooling, less mains water consumption, less landfill and many more," Ms Moore said.

The technology is available now - with no need to wait for solar improvements or other technological advancements.

Through its modeling, Kinesis has applied the Green Transformer idea on the largest scale ever seen for a city. The team's findings predicted an extraordinary result for the year 2030 - Sydney will be creating its own low-carbon energy and will have reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by 50 per cent.

Green Transformers could:

Generate an estimated 330 megawatts of electricity from natural gas;
Provide approximately 70 per cent of electricity requirements for the City by 2030, when combined with other demand reduction measures.
Provide greenhouse-free hot water, heating and cooling to approximately 36 per cent of all dwellings in the City and 43 per cent of all non-residential buildings
Supply an estimated 10 per cent of the City's water demand from within City boundaries.
Reduce energy losses currently incurred in transferring electricity from distant power stations to people's homes.

"Quite simply, cogeneration technology captures the byproduct of electricity generation - heat - and reuses it," says Bruce Taper, leading advisor for Kinesis. "Take your car heater for example. The heater captures waste heat from a car's engine and uses it to heat the inside of the car."

Cogeneration technology is currently employed in colder climates such as Korea, and has successfully reduced fuel consumption by 53 per-cent, annual costing by 72 per-cent and air pollutants by 46 per-cent.

"It's silly to use a valuable resource such as electricity to heat or cool buildings when you can do it with a byproduct that is free," says Taper.

The City of Sydney could work with the State Government to require green transformers through planning policies, and like most 2030 projects an ongoing partnership across all levels of Government is essential.

"The community has spoken," Ms Moore said. "They want a City that is green, global and connected and green transformers is one direction we can't afford to ignore."

The technologies behind Green Transformers are viable and have been installed and managed in many locations around Australia, but never on a large enough scale to dramatically reduce the city's reliance on coal fired power.

WHO IS BEHIND SUSTAINABLE SYDNEY 2030?

Sustainable Sydney 2030 is an initiative of the City of Sydney working with a team of Sydney's best minds in urban planning, architecture and design.

The team led by City of Sydney and SGS Economics and Planning includes; Simpson + Wilson; Kinesis; Anagram; Strategic Economics; Australia Street Company; Hill Thalis Architecture and Urban Projects; Lacoste Stevenson; Tonkin Zulaika Greer; Merrima Design; Tony Caro Architecture; Francis -Jones Morehen Thorpe; Johnson Pilton Walker; Hassell; Neeson Murcutt; Olsson Associates; Peter McGregor; Neil Prosser; James Mather Delauney and Bates Smart.

MEDIA CONTACT: Josh Mackenzie (02) 9265 9082 or 0402 351 459