Maitland City Club kicks off trigeneration system
Wednesday, 21 August, 2013
The new, state-of-the-art trigeneration system at Maitland City Bowls, Sports and Recreation Club was officially ‘turned on’ by Joel Fitzgibbon MP, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry on 15 August.
Having identified the need to improve energy efficiency while reducing current and projected energy costs - as well as cutting its carbon footprint - the club engaged Simons Green Energy to design, supply, install and maintain the 150 kW trigeneration system.
Simons Green Energy also worked closely with East Coast Air to ensure a smooth integration while the club’s heating system was retrofitted.
The trigeneration system will supply the club with enough power to cover base load electricity demands while using the waste heat to provide hot water for space heating and domestic hot water, and chilled water to reduce the operation and expense of the club’s current electric chillers.
The trigeneration system installation and natural gas heating retrofit was co-funded by the Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency, under its Community Energy Efficiency Program (CEEP).
“The CEEP project incorporating Simons Green Energy’s Trigeneration system is a major leap forward in efficiency for our club,” said Maitland City Club CEO Ian Martin.
“We were at a point where no further changes in our operation would reduce consumption and cost without a fundamental shift in the way we thought about electricity. Trigeneration provided the basis for our change of mindset.”
The trigeneration system will provide 150 kW(e) of electricity output from low-carbon natural gas and provide 236 kW(t) of thermal output in the form of hot water. It will reduce the club’s carbon emissions by 500 tonnes per annum.
In total, the project is expected to save the club approximately $50,000 a year on energy costs.
“It is very positive to see the government working together with private and community organisations for a common goal,” said Simons Green Energy CEO Derek Simons.
“Sustainability is a concern that affects us all, and the Community Energy Efficiency Program is a great example of a government incentive that offers real benefits to the community. We are very proud of being part of this project and we hope to see many more clubs looking at ways to reduce costs through the implementation of clean energy sources.”
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