Jun 2007 - Australian Institute of Energy

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the Vision Estate in Glenfield, 16 homes are connected to a 160 kW plant for all their power, heating and cooling needs. Later in 2007, 200 homes will be added to the network and there will be three generators underground on the estate. They will work independent of the public grid, but will be linked to the grid in order to export any surplus electricity. The homes BASIX and Energy Star compliant and are equipped with energy-efficient equipment. Housing estates with district energy achieve efficiency levels of 70–80% compared to public grid power efficiencies of 30–50%. For further information see http://www.gridx.com.au. PEOPLE AND PLACES The CO2CRC The Hon Julie Bishop, Commonwealth Minister for Education, Science and Training, officially opened the new offices of the Cooperative Research Centre for Greenhouse Gas Technologies (CO2CRC) in Canberra on 20 May. In welcoming the minister, chief executive Dr Peter Cook acknowledged the importance of the CRC Program to Australia’s research effort, and outlined the CRC’s current activities. With a budget of around A$160 million over seven years and more than 100 collaborating researchers and staff, the CO2CRC is now one of the largest greenhouse gas technology research programs in the world. “The acid test is not in being the largest program but in delivering key outcomes,” said Dr Cook. “I believe that we have an outstanding track record not only in our collaborative research, but also in the demonstration and application of that research. The Otway Basin project in Victoria is one of the most ambitious geosequestration demonstration projects in the world, with an outstanding monitoring and verification program that we have developed in conjunction with the AGO and the EPA. “We are also testing the boundaries in many other areas too including licencing and regulation, as well as fluid flow modelling and risk assessment. We have two very important CO2 capture projects underway in collaboration with International Power and HRL. We have several capture patents lodged or underway. Our CO2 storage work has identified commercially and environmentally very significant storage opportunities for Australia, both onshore and offshore. And we have a growing commercial arm that is active throughout Australia and globally. Dr Cook highlighted the collaborative nature of the work with government departments and agencies, universities, major companies and others – together dubbed ‘Team Australia’. “This team approach has enabled Australia to punch far above its weight internationally in greenhouse gas technologies,” said Dr Cook. The following day, the CO2RC announced its participation in a consortium appointed to determine Ireland’s all-island potential for geological storage of carbon dioxide, assessing capacity, risk of leakage, cost, and relationship to suitable sources of carbon dioxide emissions. Others in the consortium include CSA Group and Byrne Ó Cléirigh in Dublin and the British Geological Survey. The CO2CRC will lead the project team in both risk assessment and the calculation of commercial potential for carbon dioxide storage, and will assist with identification of storage locations, development and analysis of models for potential carbon dioxide traps, and calculation of both theoretical and accessible carbon dioxide potential. Curtin University of Technology Curtin University of Technology’s School of Economics and Finance has appointed Professor Anthony (Tony) Owen Professor of Energy Economics, the first position of its kind in Australia. Energy economics focuses on economic, environmental, financial and management issues as they relate to oil, gas and other parts of the energy sector. “In addition to his academic qualifications, Professor Owen has undertaken energy-related consulting activities in Australia, China, Denmark, Indonesia, Norway, the Philippines and the UK,” said Pro Vice-Chancellor of Research and Development, Professor Linda Kristjanson. Professor Owen will take an active role in the Oil and Gas Management Area of Research Excellence (OGM AORE) at Curtin, which is uniquely placed to develop and maintain expertise in the field, particularly amid the current booming oil and gas industry in Western Australia. The OGM AORE seeks to provide an understanding of the methods and designs which result in the most efficient environment for the exploration, production, transmission, transportation, distribution, storage and retailing of oil and gas products. This is achieved by examining issues such as regulation, taxation, markets, strategic management, technology development, links to science and engineering, IT, financing, supply chain/procurement, taxation and contracts. Prof Owen has a PhD in Econometrics from the University of Kent (UK) and has held visiting appointments at the Universities of British Columbia, Colorado, Leeds and Exeter, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (Paris), the UK Department of Energy (Harwell), and the International Energy Agency (Paris). He is a Fellow of the Royal Statistical Society, and Past President (2004) of the International Association for Energy Economics and a founding member and President of the Australian Association for Energy Economics. He serves on the International Editorial Boards of Energy Policy and Energy Sources. Book Review Australian Innovation: Towards a Sustainable Future, by Valerie Khoo, CL Creations Pty Ltd (now incorporated into Associated Media Group), 2007, 160 pages, RRP A$55 (incl. GST). Australian Innovation: Towards a Substainable Future is a volume of examples of innovation in sustainability in Australia, and includes sections on “The emerging carbon market – a new economy” and “Sustainable energy – finding 50 EnErgy nEws Vol 25 no. 2, June 2007
alternative fuels”. These sections include case studies from ‘partner’ organisations including BHP Billiton, ActewAGL and Australian Paper, as well as other companies such as Hydro Tasmania, Australian Renewable Fuels, Enecon and Ozmotech. Enecon is growing mallee trees to generate energy, provide eucalyptus oil and combat salinity; and Ozmotech is converting plastic to a fuel source. The other energy examples are the Australian National University/ Origin Energy SLIVER cell technology and the work of the CSIRO Energy Transformed Flagship. Energy is only one part of this book (the others being water and waste), and the examples are fairly straightforward summaries. However, the book highlights the importance of the energy sector in any conversation about our future, and includes aspects of product stewardship, social change, community participation and finance. Essentially, it is a promotion of the ‘sustainability’ activities of the organisations represented. The text is supported by a companion website, http://www. sustained.com.au. The website offers a free fortnightly eNewsletter; global commentary on sustainability through podcasts and videocasts; latest news, case studies, event updates, an eco store; and a searchable database on sustainability and innovation topics. Coming soon to the site will be a sustainable products and services directory; cultural exchanges; and sustainable destinations. Such is the future, with websites becoming an increasingly important media for communication. This website belongs to Associated Media Group, a communications and publishing company. Did you see …? (interesting places to visit on the web) Did you see the first three current IPCC working group summary reports for policy makers – The Physical Science Basis, Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability, and Mitigation of Climate Change? The fourth working group summary report, Climate Change in 2007, was due out soon. You can find these reports and more from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change at http://www.ipcc.ch/ Did you see the survey of European citizens that found only 14% consider energy-related issues as one of the most important topics in their country today? The three top issues are unemployment, crime and health care. Of all the energy issues, the most important by far is energy prices. See the report on this survey, Eurobarometer on Energy Technologies, and a whole lot of other interesting research at http://ec.europa. eu/research/energy/index_en.htm Did you see the communiqué of the 13th meeting of the Australian Ministerial Council on Energy which was held on 25 May? Topics discussed include the impact of the drought on the national electricity market, energy market reform, smart meters, the national framework for energy efficiency, and the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) climate change agenda. For a copy of this communiqué and reports on recent MCE activities, see http://www.mce.gov.au Excellence in Energy Awards The Sydney, Newcastle and Canberra Branches of the Australian Institute of Energy are pleased to announce the 2007 Excellence in Energy Awards. These awards aim to recognise and reward those individuals and organisations that, in the view of a judging panel, have made an outstanding contribution to the energy sector in New South Wales and the ACT. The awards are open to individuals and companies involved in energy projects or activities that have particular relevance to New South Wales or the ACT, and have been completed since 1 January 2002. Applicants must be a member of the Institute, however non-members can join as part of their application. A number of categories are available, including a Young Achiever Award for young energy professionals. Further details are provided in an application pack which is available from the Sydney Branch page on the website (http://www.aie.org.au/syd/). The closing date is 31 July 2007, to provide sufficient time for the judging panel to review all applications. The awards will be presented at a ceremony held on Tuesday 4 September in Sydney at the offices of Blake Dawson Waldron. Notice and registration form will be at http://www.aie.org.au/syd/ soon. 51 EnErgy nEws Vol 25 no. 2, June 2007
Page 1 and 2: EnErgy nEws Official JOurnal Of the
Page 3 and 4: ISSN 1445-2227 (International Stand
Page 5 and 6: Sydney Branch was busy in the first
Page 7 and 8: Emissions Trading: International an
Page 9 and 10: Blake Dawson Waldron Resources and
Page 11 and 12: ‘GETTING TO KNOW YOU’ Introduci
Page 13 and 14: The Methane to Markets Partnership
Page 15 and 16: M2M provides a useful opportunity t
Page 17 and 18: has a light water coolant and moder
Page 19 and 20: The Darwin Declaration After two da
Page 21 and 22: 10 WAYS TO GET THE MOST FROM YOUR L
Page 23: example, Wood Mackenzie forecasts i
Page 27: NEw MEMBERS naMe graDe Branch Mr Vi

Jun 2007 - Australian Institute of Energy

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