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Symposium on Electrical Energy Evolution in China and Australia, Palm Cove, July 2008 1

Appropriate Utilisation of Electricity within


Society
K. I. Guthrie, J. Osborne and S. Ott

60-80% reduction from 1990 levels by 2050, including


I. INTRODUCTION interim targets of 30% by 2020. Australian States and Federal
There are many examples of the ‘high value’ energy Governments have a target of 60% reduction by 2050.
supplied as electricity being utilised to provide ‘low value’ Garnaut [2] has said of this “Australia would need to go
outcomes. In particular low temperature heat supplied by considerably further in reduction of emissions as part of an
electrical resistance heaters is a wasteful and inappropriate effective global agreement, with full participation by major
way to use electricity. However, these end uses of electricity developing countries, designed to reduce risks of dangerous
are often used to maintain a load in off-peak periods and are climate change to acceptable levels.”
part of the basis of the base load ‘requirement’ that is an Australia’s net greenhouse emissions were 559.1 Mt in
artifice of the market rather than a real requirement. 2005. Of this the entire energy sector made up 69.9% (391.0
If we are to collectively meet the challenge of greenhouse Mt CO2-e) and the stationary energy sector 279.4 Mt CO2-e
pollution in the most cost effective manner, renewable energy Electricity generation contributes to the majority of emissions
technologies will be widely deployed, not only to provide under the Stationary Energy sector and accounted for 194.3
electricity but also to produce heat and cooling. Mt of CO2-e (34.8%) emissions in 2005. It also uses
substantial other resources including water [4].
From fig. 1 it can be seen that energy industries, which
II. THE GREEN HOUSE CHALLENGE

T HERE is a growing body of evidence that the world is


warming and that human activities have played a
significant role. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
250,000

200,000
Energy industries

Transport

Change (IPCC) Fourth Assessment Report (2007) [1], Manufacturing and


150,000
concluded that the warming of the climate system is construction
‘unequivocal’, and that there was a greater than 90 per cent 100,000
Fugitive emissions from
fuels
chance – that ‘the global average net effect of human Other sectors
activities since 1750 has been one of warming’. 50,000

The interim report of the Garnaut Climate Change Review Other

[2] states that “International cooperation in mitigation must be 0


2005 (Total: 391,020 Mt)
built around principles for defining a limitation on global
Fig. 1 CO2-e emissions of Australia’s energy sector. Source: Adopted from
emissions, and for sharing that limitation among countries. [5], p.66
These principles can lead to assessment of what would be an
appropriate Australian share of the limited global emissions includes electricity generation, petroleum refining, gas
rights over the years ahead.” processing and solid fuel manufacturing makes up a
Various studies have concluded that a target for substantial proportion of the Greenhouse pollution from the
atmospheric carbon should be set. There is no commonly energy sector. It should be noted that transport contributes a
accepted target as yet and the baseline year for reductions also small but significant 80.4 Mt CO2-e or 14.4% of Australia’s
varies. The European Parliament [3] has proposed a target of net emissions. Emissions from this sector were 30% higher in
2005 than in 1990 one of the strongest sources of emissions
Ken Guthrie is the Manager Renewable and Distributed Energy at
growth in Australia [6].
Sustainability Victoria, Level 28, 50 Lonsdale Street,Melbourne,, Victoria Whilst electricity generation contributes the majority of
3000. (e-mail: ken.guthrie@sustainability.vic.gov.au.) emissions of the stationary energy sector, it is apparent that
John Osborne is a Senior Project Manager, Renewable and Distributed
improvements to the electricity sector alone will not meet the
Energy at Sustainability Victoria, Level 28, 50 Lonsdale Street Melbourne
Victoria 3000. (e-mail: john.osborne@sustainability.vic.gov.au targets required, even without considering projected future
Sonja Ott is a Project Manager, Renewable and Distributed Energy at growth (fig. 2). Consequently action on all sectors will be
Sustainability Victoria, Level 28, 50 Lonsdale Street Melbourne Victoria necessary and it will be vital that future electricity supply is
3000. (e-mail: Sonja.ott@sustainability.vic.gov.au)
driven by rapid transition to low carbon technologies and
Symposium on Electrical Energy Evolution in China and Australia, Palm Cove, July 2008 2

meeting the demand for energy consumption that requires


electricity, rather than energy consumption that can be Refrigeration,
supplied by other lower, or preferably zero, carbon supply Steam, 9% 7%
technologies. Space Cooling,
10%
Water heating,
2,000 20%
1,800 Transport and
1,600 storage Space heating,
Manufacturing and 17%
1,400
Energy Use (PJ)

construction
1,200
Residential
1,000
Cooking, 11%
800 Mining
Lighting (Inc Ventilation
600
Commercial and public lighting), (pumps, fans),
400
services 17%
200 10%
Agriculture
0
2009-10 2014-15 2019-20 2024-25 2029-30
Fig. 4 Energy services in the commercial sector in Victoria 03-04 total 69 PJ
Non energy fuel
Year uses Source: Adopted from [7]
Fig. 2 Projected final energy consumption in Australia by industry
Source: Adopted from [5], p.66 Appliances -
For example, many of the international support mechanisms other, 10%
Appliances -
aimed at increasing the use of renewable energy concentrate cooking, 3%
solely on promoting clean electricity supply and lead to Appliances -
perverse outcomes, where technology that logically provides Refrig /
heat energy is pushed to provide electricity to gain additional Freezer, 4%

project income, thereby reducing efficiency. Lighting, 3%


Space heating
III. ENERGY ENDUSES
Water heating, and cooling,
At the point of consumption energy provides a service to 21% 59%

the consumer. By way of example, the breakdown of the


services provided by energy to the end-users in Victoria in
2003-2004 is shown in Figures 3, 4 and 5 for industrial,
commercial and residential sectors. Fig. 5 Energy services in the residential sector in Victoria 03-04 total 160 PJ
Source: Adopted from [7]
Heat makes up 24% of energy consumption and
refrigeration an additional 4% in the industrial sector. In the Across all sectors high temperature heat (>100°C)
commercial sector low temperature heat supply utilises 37% consumes 9% of energy supplied, low temperature heat, 38%,
of the total energy consumed and space cooling and cooling, 3% and refrigeration 4% i.e. approximately 50% of
refrigeration an additional 17%. Whilst for the residential stationary energy is used to supply heating and cooling at
sector 80% of the energy consumed provides low temperature temperatures that are readily achieved with existing renewable
heating or cooling. thermal technologies, much of which are cost effective in
current markets.
Whilst these data are for Victoria, where other data is
Refrigeration, available similar figures are found. For example, in Europe,
Process heat
4%
(>100 C), 17% heating and cooling accounts for approximately 49% of total
Electric Drive,
19% Space heating,
energy, including transport [8].
1%

Water heating, IV. RENEWABLE ENERGY FOR HEATING AND COOLING


6% The most commonly used solar thermal technology is solar
Aluminium, water heating. Solar water heaters currently installed
24% worldwide save an estimated 34 million tonnes of CO2-e in
2006 [9]. Worldwide sales are growing at 22% pa and the
most dynamic markets for flat-plate and evacuated tube
Electrolytic,
collectors world wide are in China, Europe, Australia and
28% New Zealand.
Fig. 3 Energy services in the industrial sector in Victoria 03-04 total 205 PJ Koldehoff [10] outlines the range of solar thermal
Source: Adopted from [7] technologies that are available to provide heating and cooling.
Combi-systems make up 45% of the German market and
Symposium on Electrical Energy Evolution in China and Australia, Palm Cove, July 2008 3

provide both space heating and hot water.


Large scale solar thermal systems provide significant
savings in fossil fuels in district heating systems in Denmark
[10].
Over 100 solar thermal cooling systems are operating in
Europe to provide space cooling and industrial refrigeration
systems. Space cooling loads have a good match to the daily
solar resource, thereby reducing peak electricity demand.
Higher temperatures can be delivered by other renewable
technologies based on geothermal heat supply and biomass.

V. CONCLUSION
The evolution of electricity supply infrastructure in a
carbon constrained future will not only result from
development of clean distributed electricity supply technology
but will also be influenced by alternative clean technology
methods of delivering the same services.

REFERENCES
[1] IPCC. (2007). Forth Assessment Report – Climate Change 2007.
University Press: Cambridge, UK. (Online: http://www.ipcc.ch, accessed
26.06.2008)
[2] Garnaut, R. (2008). Garnaut Climate Change Review – Interim Report
to the Commonwealth, State and Territory Governments of Australia.
(Online: http://www.garnautreview.org.au, accessed 26.06.2008)
[3] Commission of the European Communities. (2007). Limiting Global
Climate Change to 2 Degrees Celsius – The Way ahead for 2020 and
beyond. (Online:
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/climat/future_action.htm, accessed
26.06.2008)
[4] NREL. (2003). Consumptive Water Use for U.S. Power Production.
(Online: http://www.nrel.gov)
[5] Australian Greenhouse Office (AGO). (2005). National Greenhouse Gas
Inventory 2005. (Online: http://www.greenhouse.gov.au/inventory,
accessed 26.06.2008)
[6] Australian Bureau of Agriculture and Resource Economics (ABARE).
(2008). Energy in Australia 2008. (Online
http://www.abareconomics.com.au, accessed 26.06.2008)
[7] McLeod V. Sustainability Victoria personal communication
[8] European Solar Thermal Technology Platform (ESTTP). Solar Thermal
Vision 2030 (Online: http://esttp.org)
[9] Weiss W., Bergmann I. and Faninger G Solar heat worldwide- Markets
and contribution to the energy supply 2006 IEA SHC (Online:
www.iea-shc.org)
[10] Koldehoff W. B. The solar thermal market – Today and Tomorrow.
Solar thermal industry forum Munich June 2008 (Online:
www.solarthermalindustry.de)

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