Bulletin

Issue: January/February 2008

News

Fifteen years of energy saving

Between seven am on Monday and eleven pm on Friday La Trobe University's main Melbourne campus at Bundoora produces its own electricity.

The campus has its own natural gasfired co-generation power plant which supplies almost all the electricity that the University uses. The plant is highly efficient, converting 70 per cent of gas into energy, almost double that of traditional coal-fired generators.

'Co-generation' refers to the production of two or more forms of energy from one fuel source. Because the total quantity of fuel is reduced, this creates cost savings and cuts greenhouse gas emissions.

'Waste heat' — a by product of electricity generation — is used to produce thermal energy in the form of high-temperature water. This is then reticulated around the campus and used to produce heating, domestic hot water, sterilisation and run (reverse-cycle) cooling systems.

Deputy Director (Operations), Robin Young says the plant was installed in 1993 under an incentive package from the Victorian Government. At the time, the government wanted to reduce the need to invest in new power stations, reduce reliance on a few very large coal fired power stations and reduce green house gases.

Mr Young says 'La Trobe's objectives were to cut energy costs, demonstrate a commitment to the environment — in particular to reduce greenhouse gas emissions — and have a back-up power supply to reduce the effects of power outages. 'The plant can take over if the grid fails and vice versa. The plant also improves the quality of power and protects computer and laboratory equipment from interruptions to the power supply.'

Mr Young says that originally the plant was of vast economic benefit to La Trobe as much of the electricity created was sold back to the grid, but 15 years on, as the population of the campus has grown, so has the amount of power consumed.

'However, there is still a net economic benefit to the University and this benefit will increase substantially if a carbon tax is introduced, electricity prices rise or there is an increase in mandatory renewable energy targets.'

Mr Young says the plant has given good service and is scheduled for a possible upgrade in 2011, the extent of which will depend on the economic and environmental benefits at the time.