In December 2010 the City of Sydney released a report that detailed how a series of trigeneration plants dispersed throughout Sydney’s central business district could provide 70 per cent of the city’s energy needs.

The plan

The interim Trigeneration Master Plan, devised in consultation with Kinesis, Cogent and Origin Energy, suggests that trigeneration energy systems could provide clusters of buildings with low-carbon electricity, heating and cooling and slash greenhouse gas emissions by 40 to 60 per cent by 2030.

The Plan covers four energy-dense zones of the city – CBD North/Barangaroo, CBD South, Pyrmont/Broadway and Green Square. It would reduce the city’s greenhouse gas emissions by between 1.1 million and 1.7 million tonnes a year. This represents a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions of 18 per cent and 26 per cent of the overall Sustainable Sydney 2030 target.

Article continues below…

The rest of the city’s emissions reductions will come from energy efficiency measures and from installing renewable energy such as solar panels.

At the helm of the Plan is UK energy expert Allan Jones, MBE. Mr Jones is the city’s Energy and Climate Change Chief Development Officer.

He is responsible for the tendering process for the Plan, which has attracted interest from major organisations and companies including Stockland; the GPT Group; the QVB Building; University of Technology, Sydney; and the Sydney Institute of TAFE.

From coal to trigeneration

At the moment, 80 per cent of the City of Sydney's emissions come from the production of electricity by coal-fired power stations in the Hunter Valley. Two thirds of the energy being used by these stations is wasted as heat from the cooling towers and on long-distance transmission over power lines to Sydney.

Sydney Lord Mayor, Clover Moore MP, said "Trigeneration energy systems located in Sydney where the electricity is needed could avoid some of the high costs of transporting electricity from the country to the city."

Despite the emissions reductions that could be achieved through the Plan, government regulations are preventing the city from carrying it out. Allan Jones has been meeting with New South Wales Government ministers and the Opposition, calling for the removal of regulatory barriers to local energy production and distribution.

The Plan is available for viewing at the City of Sydney website until Friday 28 January 2011, and the final Plan is expected to be completed in 2011.