RSL club turns to trigeneration for energy

A Sydney outer suburb is now home to the country's first trigeneration plant in an RSL.

Rooty Hill RSL has officially launched the completed installation of a trigeneration power plant — a first for any club in Australia.

At a cost of over $4.5 million, it is expected Rooty Hill RSL will lower its carbon emissions by 50 per cent as a result of the trigeneration power plant.

Rooty Hill RSL’s tri-generation power plant will operate during peak and shoulder periods, turning on when power prices increase during the day and turning off when energy prices revert to off-peak rates later in the evening.

In the case of a blackout, the trigeneration power plant, including the absorption chiller for air-conditioning, will power the entire site using a demand management system.

Trigeneration is the simultaneous production of three forms of energy: electricity, heating and cooling from a single system.

A trigeneration power plant captures waste heat from electricity production and uses it to heat and cool buildings, improve energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It is nearly three times more energy efficient than a coal-fired power station.

"The system in use at Rooty Hill RSL consists of a gas fired 1000 kilowatt generator, together with an absorption chiller and various heat exchangers," says Tom Russell, group director at Haron Robson.

"Trigeneration represents a readily available mature technology that provides significant reductions in CO2 emissions, reduces running costs and provides backup power to the grid. This arrangement can increase the efficiency of the actual energy used from 35 per cent (in the case of traditional coal fired power) to over 80 per cent.

"This project presented many challenges — the great level of commitment and cooperation shown by the entire team allowed us to produce what we believe is a landmark facility in the club industry."

Rooty Hill RSL anticipates complete cost recovery within seven years and will service the construction cost without debt.