Sydney to learn from London energy expert

Allan Jones MBE, the man who introduced alternative electricity generating technology in Woking, England and set up the London Climate Change Agency will be speaking at a free City of Sydney City Talk today (Tuesday 22 July) at 6.30 pm.

Lord Mayor Clover Moore MP and Environment Minister Verity Firth MP will provide introductions while Bruce Taper, Sustainable Sydney 2030 environment expert and Director of Kinesis Pty Ltd, will talk about what the City is doing right now to follow in Wokings footsteps.

"The City of Sydney, like London, produces the major proportion of its greenhouse emissions from power generation - almost 80 per cent of Sydneys emissions come from electricity supplied to homes and businesses, compared with less than 10 per cent from transport,"Mr Jones said.

"At Woking, we installed a gas-fired system - far less polluting than coal - which generates electricity locally. Heat from the generation process is captured and piped underground to supply heating and hot water.

"This is co-generation and in some countries, such as Denmark and the Netherlands, more than 50 per cent of their energy comes from cogeneration and its even been used in Korea since the 1980s where its now supplying over 800,000 homes."

Lord Mayor Clover Moore MP said our Sustainable Sydney 2030 strategy aims to reduce the Citys CO2 emissions in Sydney by 70 per cent using the same cogeneration technology as Woking.

"When we consulted with residents and businesses about what they want in 2030, 97 per cent of people told us they want global warming addressed by reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

"With Council recently adopting the 2030 vision, we now have an agreed way forward and can get on with the job of making it a reality,"Ms Moore said.

Ms Firth said the NSW Government was proud to support this special event: "A successful response to climate change requires cooperation across all levels of government so its a pleasure to be involved in the councils exciting Sustainable Sydney 2030 initiative,"Ms Firth said.

"Our cities are at the centre of the climate change challenge. The NSW Government is helping our families and business reduce their carbon footprint to meet this challenge through our $150 million energy efficiency package and initiative such as BASIX.

"The guest speakers are both doing their bit to show us how we can move our cities from the high energy-use city of today to the sustainable city of tomorrow."

City Talk: Green Transformers, revolutionising energy generation for a Sustainable Sydney. Tuesday 22 July 2008 6:30pm-8pm, Theatre Royal (MLC Centre, King St, Sydney). This is a free event, but bookings are essential on Ticketek 132 849