This technology is proving an alternative to traditional energy supply, relying on coal stations emitting thousands of tonnes of CO2 and experience substantial efficiency losses associated with transmitting power some distance from the central generating plant.
GridX is an Australian energy utility providing reliable, sustainable and economically viable distributed generation solutions across the residential, commercial and industrial sectors. It has pioneered the introduction of district energy systems into the residential housing market in Australia.
Its sustainable energy solutions for the commercial and industrial sectors also increase ABGR scores, BASIX and Energy Star ratings. The company generates NSW Greenhouse Abatement Certificates (NGACs) that also benefit partner utilities in meeting their sustainability targets.
In July 2007, GridX was the winner of the 2007 Banksia Climate Award.
The drivers for district energy
Whilst in Europe and the United States of America where district energy systems have been well established, acceptance of district and distributed energy in Australia has been hard won. Distributed energy systems are used in some industrial applications and commercial buildings, such as university campuses but the idea of having homes completely powered by natural gas is still a novelty.
However, a greater community focus on environmental building standards, power constraints resulting from urban sprawl and the investment pressures faced by developers in areas with limited electricity infrastructure has created a market for GridX Power.
The GridX system operates independently of the main grid so it is not impacted by the incumbent utility’s inability to deliver infrastructure on demand. This provides developers with a faster path to market. Developers also benefit from market differentiation by offering a greener product to customers without charging a premium. The use of natural gas assists this offer, as it is an affordable fuel.
The system meets stringent environmental requirements now mandated under building codes and reduces environmental impacts of infrastructure as the GridX network is all underground, so there is no visual or noise impact.
Customers also receive higher power reliability and quality, as local electricity supply is direct to home, office or industrial complex.
At a recent breakfast seminar held in Melbourne with Envestra, consulting groups and developers keen to adopt this proven technology without having to absorb the capital cost or the responsibility of maintaining the hardware showed a great interest in the GridX system.
As a vertically integrated utility, GridX owns, operates and maintains the technology, selling the energy to clients, so the risk of introducing GridX power is minimal.
Vision Estate – world first to use tri-generation
In April 2007, Australia’s first residential housing estate powered by natural gas was launched in Sydney using tri-generation – a technology that generates three forms of energy from a single source.
The GridX system uses natural gas-powered generators situated on site to supply electricity. It captures by-product, hot and cold water for heating and cooling purposes. In partnership with Mirvac, Vision Estate is the first in the world to use tri-generation in a large housing estate. There are 16 homes currently using the system, with another 200 under construction, and more in the planning stages.
The environmental benefits include an immediate 33 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions compared to traditional coal-fired generation, and increased efficiency in transmission and in thermal energy use. For each home using the GridX system, 4-7 tonnes of CO2 are saved per year, equating to the removal of 864 cars off the road each year for the 216 homes at Glenfield.
The system provides higher reliability, lower energy bills and more sustainable energy at no extra cost to consumers and developers. Residents also use specially designed dishwashers and clothes dryers that maximise the heating capacity of the system. Hot water from the process of generating electricity is used in these domestic appliances to deliver around 75 per cent greater energy efficiency than a standard appliance. Electricity, gas and home services are all included on one bill and customers can access their accounts online via the website.
The air-conditioning system at Vision Estate has no exterior compressor contributing to visual impact on the streetscape nor is it a load on the main electricity grid. There are multiple systems on site for generating electricity and chilling. These are spread out across the estate in order to maximise the heating and chilling components of the system and to build in robust redundancy. Vision Estate is also connected to the main electricity grid. This enables GridX to export excess energy at times of peak demand. Integral Energy has partnered with GridX to support this initiative.
While the system can be established in remote areas away from electricity infrastructure, the technology currently relies on access to natural gas. The technology is also adaptive to other energy sources, so in future it is envisaged that renewable sources such as solar and wind could be used.
GridX was founded in 2002 and is partly financed by Allco Finance Group, whose investment in infrastructure spans both renewable and traditional energy projects in Australia and internationally.
GridX is also attracting a great deal of interest from countries such as the USA, China and Singapore.