Prince Alfred Park Pool powers up

A planned upgrade of Prince Alfred Park Pool could see the centre producing electricity to power nearby homes and businesses.

The centre could be powered by gas, known as cogeneration to produce electricity that could heat the pool water and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

“97 per cent of people wanted us to have a plan for dealing with climate change, and as part of Sustainable Sydney 2030 we are committed to a 70 per cent reduction in C02 emissions by 2030,” said Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore.

“There’s also the potential that excess electricity produced by the plant could be sold to nearby businesses and residents.”

Initially cogeneration was rejected as a solution for the park and pool due to high cost and large plant space. However, Sydney City Council weighed in benefits of pool water heating and power for pool buildings.

The plant could provide a financial payback in 20 years after cheaper gas prices compared with coal, offset the initial building costs.

Sydney City Council hopes it will be a showcase for gas power, similar to taxi and bus fuel rather than petrol for its cheaper cost and lower carbon emissions.

But Alexandra Graham from the Australian Conservation Foundation’s GreenHome program says the organisation would not recommend gas power for households, as it is a non-renewable energy source.

“The co-generation plant is definitely an encouraging result for any local council and City of Sydney Council has clearly taken a positive step towards providing a local solution to the problem of Sydney’s growing energy demands,” said Ms Graham.

“But we would recommend households purchase green power through energy providers as this means people are investing in Australia’s green renewable energy industry and increasing the workforce for green-collar jobs.

“As consumers, buying green power puts pressure on the Federal Govt to invest more in the renewable energy sector for the future when they see so many people wanting to choose it as an alternative to coal powered electricity,” she said.

Gas-powered systems are low on the list of recommended alternatives by the Foundation which promotes bulk-bought solar panels for local communities and solar powered hot water systems for individual households over gas systems.

Work on the centre has begun and is predicted to be completed by mid next year.