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IGSHPA is an extension unit of the OSU College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology

The official publication of IGSHPA®

GEOTHERMAL-POWEREDHOUSING IN AUSTRALIA

Volume 16, Number 112 ®

PRECINCT-WIDE GEOTHERMAL DELIVERED IN

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA

One of Australia’s leading energy companies is undertaking one of the largest residential geothermal HVAC installations in the southern hemisphere with over 14,000 kW (4000 tons) of heating and cooling.

Alinta Energy Geothermal, part of the fast-growing energy retailer and generator Alinta Energy, is installing residential ground source heat pumps in 900 new homes at the Frasers Property Australia’s Fairwater Residential community in Blackwater, a western suburb of Sydney.

Leading property developer, Frasers Property Australia, commenced development of Fairwater in 2014, with an expected completion date of 2022. The project has already distinguished itself, winning the outstanding recognition of a 6-star Green Star Communities rating from the Green Building Council of Australia - the first in New South Wales.

Frasers Property Australia has broken new ground domestically by bringing geothermal

HVAC into such a huge project, making it among the largest projects of its kind in the world.

Unlike the US and some European countries, the use of ground source heat pumps in the Australian market is relatively uncommon. While there have been several companies successfully using the technology, the Australian geothermal industry has a long way to go for general acceptance.

Prior to the commencement of the project, a geothermal system was installed at a Frasers’ sales office in mid-2012. This system served as a trial site where the developer’s staff could monitor its operation and performance for comfort levels and operational and energy performance.

This was critical in the company’s decision-making process, as system operational performance and robustness prior to committing to full-scale installation on the 38-hectare Fairwater development was paramount.

Paolo Bevilacqua, general manager of real utilities, Frasers Property Australia, said the

AN AERIAL PHOTO OF THE FAIRWATER COMMUNITY. PHOTO COURTESY OF ALINTA ENERGY GEOTHERMAL

12COVER STORY

BY PETER WEAVER

Volume 16, Number 1 13®

company was seeking to provide home owners with a real and ongoing benefit.

“The use of geothermal to all homes at Fairwater can reduce peak energy demand which translates into reduced household costs. In an environment of increasing energy costs, we believed that this was a genuine advantage to our customers,” he said.

“Critical to the approval process was the need to ensure that any geothermal installation would not impact the delivery of the housing product. It was imperative that we integrated the existing building processes with the geothermal and the air conditioning contractors’ respective works.”

Alinta Energy Geothermal’s innovative Australian designed and manufactured geothermal heat pump, GeoAir is coupled with a locally manufactured fan coil unit. Alinta Energy Geothermal partners with Australia’s leading manufacturer of HVAC equipment to build the proprietary heat pump.

Frasers Property Australia project director Ray Baksmati said that the use of geothermal at this scale presented several significant challenges for the business.

“As a leading property developer, we value our brand and the quality of product that we offer. Such a large commitment and investment in geothermal was not something we approached lightly.

“We needed to ensure that the systems installed would be of high quality, durable and most importantly offer our homeowners savings and comfort,” he said.

Peter Weaver, general manager of Alinta Energy Geothermal said installing geothermal systems at scale required significant coordination and planning prior to commencement.

“With no access available after construction, it was important that the geothermal loops were installed prior to any building works,” he said.

“The specialized installation process was developed in partnership with Frasers to integrate

A GEOAIR HEAT PUMP IN PLACE AT A FAIRWATER HOME. PHOTO COURTESY OF ALINTA ENERGY GEOTHERMAL

AN ONSITE DRILLING RIG AT FAIRWATER. PHOTO COURTESY OF ALINTA ENERGY GEOTHERMAL

Volume 16, Number 114 ®

with their existing build processes.”This process included locating heat pump

positions on development application drawings and marking the heat pump sites by the on-site surveyor following bulk earthworks.

“We then install the loops prior to any other works on site, with installed loops capped and protected during the construction process.

Alinta Energy

With over 1 million customers, Alinta Energy has grown rapidly over the previous eighteen months to become the fourth largest retailer and generator in Australia.

After identifying the untapped and growing appetite for geothermal heating and cooling in Australia, in 2018 Alinta Energy acquired the geothermal business and launched Alinta Energy Geothermal.

While geothermal technology has already been embraced internationally, the acquisition and launch of the Alinta Energy Geothermal business represents the biggest commercial backing of geothermal heating and cooling technology in Australia.

The opportunity to work closely with forward-looking organisations to ensure our collective customers are getting the most affordable and sustainable energy solutions is central to Alinta Energy’s commitment to geothermal.

Alinta Energy has worked to deliver more affordable energy to our customers as well as drive competition and innovate in the markets where the company operates.

We are backing this technology precisely because it will lower customers’ energy usage and their monthly or quarterly bills, and put more money back in their hands.

“Internally, all systems are centrally ducted with in-ceiling fan coil units and day/night zoning controlled by wall mounted thermostats.

“All internal works are carried out by Frasers’ nominated HVAC contractors and is largely the same as conventional systems,” he said.

With just over 400 systems installed to date, homeowners have reported significantly lower energy costs compared to their old homes in suburban Sydney, where energy costs are typically very high.

In Sydney, summer temperatures can top 45 C (113 F) and -2 C (28 F) in winter. Fairwater homeowners using the geothermal system report very comfortable conditions across all seasonal variations.

“General feedback from homeowners have been very positive to date with many indicating that energy costs of their new homes are significantly less than their old homes. We are intending on quantifying this through a research program in partnership with the Australian Government,” Baksmati said.

“Our intent is to demonstrate to the industry that our investment in geothermal at Fairwater is both a benefit for the homeowner and throughout the broader energy network,” he added.

Originally selected for energy efficiency, the geothermal system is providing additional benefits to both the individual homeowner and the wider residential development.

The absence of external condensers allows great flexibility in plant locations without compromising design, while the removal of fans eliminates sound problems and potential heat island effects with equipment located within tight areas.

With over 500 homes yet to be delivered at Fairwater, Alinta Energy Geothermal will be on site for some time to come.

“The Fairwater project is not just a showcase for our company but for the geothermal industry in general. We are proud that, as an Australian company we have not only secured and delivered this project but have secured an Australian manufacturing partner, assisting in our industries capability development,” Weaver said.

“As a company, we have big plans for our geothermal business and have the roadmap and resources to ensure success. Our pipeline of

Volume 16, Number 1 15®

Alinta Energy Geothermal was acquired by energy retailer and generator Alinta Energy in 2018. The geothermal business has a 10-year history of designing and installing innovative geothermal technology, and has internal engineering capability, skilled and experienced technicians and a fleet of drilling rigs, capable of delivering a broad range of geothermal projects.

The company is fully owned by Alinta Energy, a fast-growing energy retailer and generator with an owned and contracted generation portfolio of around 3,000MW, over one million combined electricity and gas retail customers in Australia and around 700 employees across Australia and New Zealand.

Frasers Property Australia is one of Australia’s leading diversified property groups and is the Australian division of Frasers Property Limited (FPL). The company has over 90 years’ history in Australia with current activities covering the development of residential land, housing and apartments, commercial, retail and industrial properties, investment property ownership and management, and property management.

works is ever expanding and nationally supported by a highly qualified and capable engineering and project delivery team. Our drillers and technicians have many years’ experience in geothermal project delivery and we continue to build these capabilities.

“It is our intent that our efforts assist the Australian geothermal industry to continue to grow and be accepted as a genuine solution for built form energy efficiency,” he added.

Alinta Energy Geothermal has a forward order book of over 1,400 geothermal systems that range from detached houses through to commercial projects and most projects in between.

Demonstrating their ongoing commitment to the geothermal solution, Frasers Property Australia is using geothermal in their latest Sydney development Ed. Square in south-west Sydney.

Bevilacqua said, “We have a commitment to this technology when and where it makes sense. Potential energy savings combined with design benefits were a compelling argument for the innovative housing product we are delivering at Ed. Square.

“The removal of external condensers with associated heat and noise combined with the household energy savings will add real benefit to our customers”.

Peter Weaver is general manager, qld for Alinta Energy and chief operating officer for Alinta Energy Geothermal, based in Brisbane, Austrailia. Peter has over 30 years of senior executive experience in the aviation, manufacturing and energy sectors. Prior to Alinta Energy, Peter had 16 years of experience with Energex, Queensland’s largest electricity distributor. He has extensive experience in managing multiple staff groups and functions with operations spread over multiple locations. In his roles in Energex he has gained a strong understanding of the energy sector, distributed and renewable generation, and network and retail operations.