The Potential Role for District Energy Systems in Greenhouse Abatement Strategies in Australia

Abstract

Between 1990 and l998 Australia's greenhouse gas emissions increased by 17% with emissions from electricity generation increasing by over 30%. While most attention is focused on emissions relating to transport, buildings are also major energy users and so contribute substantially to emissions levels. Strategies aimed at reducing building related emissions have concentrated largely on reducing energy demand at the point of use and have therefore concentrated on factors such as thermal insulation, use of energy efficient appliances, energy labelling schemes and so on. Under the 1997 Kyoto agreement Australia pledged to limit greenhouse gas emissions to 108% of 1990 levels. For a variety of reasons current strategies relating to the built environment are quite inadequate if these targets are to be met, e.g., slow turnover of building stock, lack of incentives, long payback periods. District energy systems, while commonplace in many parts of the world, have largely been ignored in Australia. Such systems offer far greater potential for emissions reductions through reduced consumption of fossil fuels. Recent changes in energy markets and increasing avaliabity of natural gas supplies are major factors that may now mean that district energy is a viable alternative to conventional energy systems in Australia.