Author: Geoff Marchiori

Project title: Gap Analysis – Energy Management System

Project aim: To undertake a gap analysis of Western Water’s Energy Management System in accordance with International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) standard 50,001.

Industry partner: Western Water

Western Water provides water, sewerage and recycled water services to 61,000 properties with a population of 162,000 across a region of 3,000 square kilometres to the north-west of Melbourne. Since the authority’s establishment 20 years ago, Western Water has seen its service population more than double. This strong growth rate is projected to continue as suburbs around Melton and Sunbury develop over the coming decade. Nearly all towns in the service area now have a secure water supply through provision of alternate supplies to local water. These include interconnection to adjoining supply systems as well as access to Melbourne water.

Project title: Small Scale Solar Installation

Project aim: To develop a recommended path for the roll-out of commercial solar photovoltaic installations on selected sites including a floating array on a reservoir.

Industry partner: Western Water

Western Water provides water, sewerage and recycled water services to 61,000 properties with a population of 162,000 across a region of 3,000 square kilometres to the north-west of Melbourne. Since the authority’s establishment 20 years ago, Western Water has seen its service population more than double. This strong growth rate is projected to continue as suburbs around Melton and Sunbury develop over the coming decade. Nearly all towns in the service area now have a secure water supply through provision of alternate supplies to local water. These include interconnection to adjoining supply systems as well as access to Melbourne water.

Project title: Small-scale Solar Installation to Victoria Police Sites Feasibility Study

Project aim: To develop a recommended path for the roll-out of commercial solar photovoltaic installations across Victoria Police smaller electricity consuming sites. This study will include an assessment of suitability and financial attractiveness of smaller-scale solar to Victoria Police sites, the prioritisation of identified sites to have solar photovoltaic arrays installed and shortlisting of preferred sites and a rollout profile over time illustrating installed capacity, likely annual generation, avoided scope-2 greenhouse gas emissions, capital outlay, and savings realised.

Industry partner: Victoria Police

Victoria Police provides policing services to the Victorian community across 54 Police Service Areas (PSAs), within 21 divisions and four regions – North West Metro, Southern Metro, Eastern and Western. These regional boundaries correspond with those of other Victorian government departments, enhancing cross-department service delivery, particularly in the area of emergency management.

Project title: Evaluation of Electric Vehicles

Project aim: To evaluate the use of electric vehicles for police use and to establish evaluation criteria based upon consultation with specialist police staff.

Industry partner: Victoria Police

Victoria Police provides policing services to the Victorian community across 54 Police Service Areas (PSAs), within 21 divisions and four regions – North West Metro, Southern Metro, Eastern and Western. These regional boundaries correspond with those of other Victorian government departments, enhancing cross-department service delivery, particularly in the area of emergency management.

Project title: Improvement of Energy Efficiency in Quang Tri Province, Vietnam

Project aim: To increase economic opportunities for local farmers through sustainable forest management; to improve forest management techniques that improve local environmental conditions through increased biodiversity, forest cover, and to increase use of energy efficient cook stoves that reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

Industry partner: SEPON Vietnam

Cam Lo Wood Pellets Factory (SEPON), one of the 7 wood pellets producers in Quang Tri, is working hard to promote their products – wood pellets and improved cook stoves. However, the use of wood pellets by industrial users currently accounts for only 10% of the target. There are several reasons but the main one is due to limited capacity of the technical staff. In order to encourage industries to change their current practice of energy use, the technical staff at SEPON should be able to provide industries with information and solutions, convincing them that using wood pellets is a better solution economically, environmentally and more sustainable in the longer term.

Project title: Greenhouse Gases from the Waste Sector and Opportunities for Reduction

Project aim: To develop an online interactive tool which allows Sustainability Victoria (SV), government, industries, and communities to view how their programs in waste reductions or recycling are impacting on reducing climate change. This will provide evidence for targeted interventions to decrease the impacts on climate change and improve the ways that Victoria is managing its waste and materials.

Industry partner: Sustainability Victoria

Sustainability Victoria supports Victorians to be more sustainable in their everyday life; in homes and in jobs, schools and communities and in the systems and infrastructure that support a thriving Victorian economy and lifestyle. SV aims to improve the way Victoria manages its resources and help communities to take action on climate change. SV provide expert advice and guidance in energy, materials and waste. SV conducts research and demonstrate what is possible and inspires people to make sustainable change above and beyond legal requirements.

Project title: Waste Resource Recovery – Market Prices of Recovered Materials

Project aim: To investigate global and local markets for recovered waste materials and map long term trends in commodity prices against existing Victorian/Australian material recovery data and provide the findings in an MS Excel workbook. Options for integration of the data into the Waste Data Projection Model (WDPM) will be explored.

Industry partner: Sustainability Victoria

Sustainability Victoria supports Victorians to be more sustainable in their everyday life; in homes and in jobs, schools and communities and in the systems and infrastructure that support a thriving Victorian economy and lifestyle. SV aims to improve the way Victoria manages its resources and help communities to take action on climate change. SV provide expert advice and guidance in energy, materials and waste. SV conducts research and demonstrate what is possible and inspires people to make sustainable change above and beyond legal requirements.

Project title: Waste Resource Recovery – Development of kerbside garden organics waste weather projection model

Project aim: To utilise the outputs and findings from the “Digital tools that enable SME’s top optimise their electricity use” project and develop a working, Excel Garden Organics Weather Correlation model (GOWC Model) that will be able to be integrated into Sustainability Victoria’s Waste Data Projection Model (WDPM).

Industry partner: Sustainability Victoria

Sustainability Victoria (SV) supports Victorians to be more sustainable in their everyday life, in homes and in jobs, schools and communities and in the systems and infrastructure that support a thriving Victorian economy and lifestyle. SV aims to improve the way Victoria manages its resources and help communities to take action on climate change. SV provide expert advice and guidance in energy, materials and waste. SV conducts research and demonstrate what is possible and inspires people to make sustainable change above and beyond legal requirements.

Project title: Waste Stream Analysis in Sovereign Hill

Project aim: To audit existing Sovereign Hill waste streams, and base line current practices and to develop a number of concepts to reduce waste, re-use waste, and/or commoditise waste streams. Budget costings for the implementation of such concepts will also be developed.

Industry partner: Sovereign Hill

Sovereign Hill is an internationally renowned, award-winning outdoor museum operated by The Sovereign Hill Museums Association, a not-for-profit, community-based organisation. Operating profits are invested back into the museum so that it can provide new experiences and encourage visitors to return. With over 100 buildings across the museum site, power and gas consumption varies with occupation and season.