Project name: Echuca Regional Health Solar Chiller
Location: Echuca, Victoria
Designer: WSP and Echuca Regional Health
Constructor: Echuca Regional Health
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Capacity: 220 kWth
Commissioning date: March 2011
Fuel source: Solar
Prime mover: Water
Technical details:
- 1,632 evacuated tubes
- 500 kW broad absorption chiller
- 10,000 lt storage capacity
- 311,000 kW hour per annum capacity – expandable to 382,000 kW hours.
Cooling down Echuca Regional Health
Echuca Regional Health is a sub-regional health service, located in the central residential area of Echuca in northern Victoria.
In 2009, the hospital began upgrading its cooling systems and chose to look at options for low-emissions and low-operating cost technologies. As a result, in early 2010, two air conditioning plants were replaced with a single 500 kilowatt (kW) gas-powered absorption chiller.
The project was jointly funded by Sustainability Victoria, Echuca Regional Health and the Victorian Department of Health.
The project also received funding under the Renewable Energy Commercial Demonstration Program, in order to add solar collectors to the heat-driven cooling system. The addition of solar heat into the system further reduces greenhouse gas emissions from the hospital.
The project at Echuca Regional Health is the largest of its type in Australia, and believed to also be the largest of its type in the world.
Technology at Echuca Regional Health
The solar thermal-assisted cooling plant utilises evacuated tube solar collectors to heat the water that feeds into the absorption chiller. Absorption chillers function by using heat to produce cold water that is then circulated for air-conditioning.
The absorption chiller is primarily powered by a steam/water plate heat exchanger and is supported by a solar collector field. When fully operational it provides air-conditioning to three buildings.
The chiller reduces the peak electricity demand at the hospital in summer and stabilises the electricity supply.
Saving on energy and emissions
Through the installation of the solar thermal absorption chiller system at Echuca Regional Health, 547 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions are saved annually and more than 382 MW hours of electricity usage.
The project has reduced the peak electrical maximum demand at the site by 13 per cent.
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