Sphere No.45 (Sep 2018)

OUR GLOBAL GAS FUTURE >> SPHERE #45 2018 14 the eye of their UK Power Networks colleagues and they are now in discussions about collaborating under a task force structure on a broader ‘green city’ vision. The gas networks are becoming a vital part of Britain’s overall, integrated energy strategy to supply the people and economy while also meeting obligations under the Paris Agreement and Kyoto Protocol. MEANWHILE, DOWN UNDER ... Australia may be on the opposite side of the Earth, but of course it didn’t miss out on the gas-driven revolution that saw consumers and industry alike adopt this game-changing energy source. It did come late to the game though. Australia’s first major use of gas was in the Roma, Queensland power station, generating electricity. The first Australian city to get ‘gassed up’ was Brisbane in 1969, with Adelaide following later that year. Sydney, Australia’s largest city, only laid down its infrastructure in 1976. But Australia has made up for lost time and now not only has a massive national infrastructure, but is the world’s second biggest exporter of liquefied natural gas (LNG). Gas provides 44% of household energy in the country. One of the biggest players is CKI member company, Australian Gas Infrastructure Group (AGIG). AGIG serves over two million consumers and comprises three networks with 34,000 km of natural gas distribution and 3,500 km of natural gas transmission pipelines. Like its British counterparts, it is taking a broad perspective on supporting an integrated, national energy plan that helps Australia meet international commitments. Along with other national energy partners, it has set its sights on a bold national goal: zero carbon gas by 2050. Like NGN and Wales & West Utilities, hydrogen is part of the story. With support from the South Australian government and key industry partners, AGIG is delivering HyP SA (Hydrogen Park South Australia) in Adelaide, where renewable electricity sourced from the South Australian grid will be used to produce hydrogen via electrolysis. Blended gas will then be injected into the gas distribution network. AGIG is working with other CKI companies to leverage their experience. For example, Wales & West Utilities will deploy 10% hydrogen to start with and will no doubt expand that as it learns more from its own experience and that of the NGN H21 venture. Indeed, AGIG’s first Hydrogen Seminar featured speakers from NGN who shared their experience. In Australia, other technologies such as biogas and coal gasification, along with carbon capture and storage, could also play a part in decarbonising gas consumption. This entire goal is encapsulated in Gas Vision 2050 , the report from Energy Networks Australia, the electricity and hybrid systems also reduces energy loss in the electricity network and reduces peaking of the burning of coal and gas in power plants. Imperial College modelling shows savings of £1.3 billion a year against an annual investment of £178 million. The Freedom project not only draws on H21 and HyDeploy findings, but also recognises more decarbonisation will come through the use of biomethane and BioSNG, a synthetic natural gas produced from organic matter (waste). The Pathfinder energy modelling project is even bigger, looking across the entire energy network. Building heating, transport, lighting and the entire spectrum of energy production, distribution and needs were considered for the county of Cornwall. The model allows everyone involved, from city planners to energy providers and consumers, to plug in the numbers to determine a low-carbon, economic mix of energy generation, storage and distribution across an economy with mixed energy use in homes, vehicles, industry and more. Planners in Swansea, Wales, used it to investigate the role that tidal lagoons could play in their unique energy mix. The approach has won its designers awards (from the Institution of Gas Engineers and Managers (IGEM)) for its forward thinking approach and logic, and in recognition of its utility for planners across Europe and the world. Other projects are in the works. Wales & West Utilities’ Pathfinder model caught Wales & West Utilities’ cylindrical steel vessels store high-pressure methane gas, contributing daily energy storage to meet heat, power and transport demands.