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Energy management

Congratulations!

Sydney Water took home the Green Globe Award for 2008 for its renewable energy projects that will reduce Sydney Water's energy use by 20 per cent, saving approximately 85,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide a year.

To find out more see our media release.




Sydney Water is one of the largest energy users in NSW. Water pumping, wastewater pumping and sewage treatment requires huge amounts of energy. Sydney Water uses almost one per cent of all energy consumed in the state.

Sydney Water will use renewable energy from two sources - cogeneration and hydro-electricity.

Cogeneration

Cogeneration harnesses biogas, a waste product of the wastewater treatment process. The biogas is captured and converted into electricity through state-of-the-art combustion technology using engines much the same way as occurs in a car.

Cogeneration was pioneered and proven at the Malabar and Cronulla sewage treatment plants. A plant is being commissioned at North Head and new plants will be installed at:

Hydro-electricity

Hydro-electric generators capture energy from wastewater flowing down a dropshaft. The facility at the North Head Sewage Treatment Plant will be an Australian first.

Other hydro-electric generators will be installed at the Woronora Water Filtration Plant, Sugarloaf Valve Station and on the Warragamba to Prospect Reservoir Pipeline.

Carbon neutral for energy and electricity use by 2020

Sydney Water will be carbon neutral for energy and electricity use by 2020. This means that by 2020 we will be eliminating or offsetting over 400,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide each year - equivalent to taking 100,000 cars off the road.

The first milestone on this path will be to reduce emissions by 60 per cent by 2012.

Read the media release.

Carbon neutrality

Sydney Water will be carbon neutral for energy and electricity use by 2020.

Being carbon neutral involves reducing energy demand, using renewable energy resources or offsetting all greenhouse gases produced. When greenhouse gases are released into the atmosphere, they contribute to global warming.

Sydney Water will achieve carbon neutrality through a combination of reduced demand, energy efficiency, renewable energy and offsets.

This program will ultimately eliminate or offset over 400,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide each year - equivalent to taking 100,000 cars off the road each year.


Cogeneration Plant at Malabar Sewage Treatment Plant
Cogeneration Plant at Malabar Sewage Treatment Plant
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Definitions

Carbon neutrality is the practice of balancing carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere so that your net greenhouse emissions are zero. This can be achieved:

   - through practices that remove carbon from the atmosphere
   - by purchasing electricity from renewable energy sources
   - by sourcing carbon credits (offsets) from others who have reduced
     their greenhouse emissions.

Renewable Energy is energy that comes from resources that can be regenerated or for all practical purposes cannot be depleted. Renewable energy sources are fundamentally different from fossil fuels like coal and oil. Renewable sources do not result in an increase in greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere.

Sydney Water generates its renewable energy from water flowing down pipes and from methane emitted during sewage treatment.

A Carbon Credit counteracts (offsets) the greenhouse gas emissions of one party by paying another party that reduces their greenhouse emissions or removes more carbon from the atmosphere. This enables organisations that find it difficult or expensive to reduce emissions to create an incentive for others that can reduce greenhouse gas at a lower cost.

One carbon credit represents 1 tonne of carbon dioxide, which has been taken from, or prevented from entering the atmosphere.

Energy Savings Action Plans

Sydney Water has prepared Energy Savings Action Plans (ESAPs), as required by the Department of Environment and Climate Change (formerly Department of Energy, Utilities & Sustainability). Energy Savings Action Plans are required for all sites that consume more than 10 gigawatt hours a year.

Sydney Water's Energy Savings Action Plans have identified greenhouse gas savings of over 36,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide. Some of these projects have already been implemented and many more are in the planning phase.

Energy Savings Action Plans are already in place for:

Demand Management

Electrical demand reduction will not reduce the energy that is consumed on site. It will, however, reduce the operating intensity of electricity networks and power stations throughout Australia. This reduces the greenhouse gas intensity of the power plants.

Sydney Water has two main demand reduction projects: a power factor improvement project and the NSW Department of Planning's Demand Management & Planning Project.

These projects involve:

The hydro-electric turbine at the North Head Sewage Treatment Plant
The hydro-electric turbine at the North Head Sewage Treatment Plant
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