An energy centre is a building that houses equipment and technology which generates, stores, or distributes electricity. It may also be called a power plant. Essentially, in the simplest of terms, they can be considered as factories which produce energy. They are typically designed with tremendous efficiency and safety in mind to maximise profits and lower costs for electricity generation.
Purpose of the sustainable energy centre
A sustainable energy centre aims to exchange traditional coal-fired power plants with modern technologies such as gas turbines fitted with combined cycle technology (CCGT) and wind farms fitted with variable speed generators (VSD). The most popular types of CCGT are gaseous fuels (e.g., natural gas), liquid fuels or biogas.
Another type of technology is the solar thermal power station (STPS). The main objective of a STPS is to generate energy from sunlight or other heat sources. A STPS could be a building designed to contain mirrors and tubes, or an open-air plant with a series of solar panels mounted on the roof and facing the sun.
Advantages of using a Sustainable Energy Centre
i. It provides electricity at a lower cost than coal-fired power plants.
One of the advantages of using a Sustainable Energy Centre is the lower cost of electricity generation. Specifically, the cost of electricity cannot rise any higher than the cost of power generation as a result of increased gas prices or other factors due to coal-fired power plants becoming obsolete.
ii. Generates energy in a sustainable way.
A Sustainable Energy Centre generates energy in an environmentally friendly manner. It can be described as an energy centre with low emissions and high efficiency, since no fossil fuels are used in generating the electricity and no pollutants were generated during its operation.
iii. Less damaging to the environment.
Unlike coal-fired power plants, a Sustainable Energy Centre produces no toxic pollutants and does not contribute to global warming. Additionally, it produces energy with energy saving technologies. The gases produced by the Sustainable Energy Centre cannot be harmful to surrounding areas as they are usually released into the atmosphere.
iv. Maintenance-free operation.
A Sustainable Energy Centre is designed to be significantly maintenance-free, unless it undergoes significant maintenance once in a while. The plant can run unattended for most of the time, mostly because it is not very big and hardly needs an operator or technicians.
v. Operates smoothly with minimal noise and emissions.
Since a Sustainable Energy Centre generates energy with minimal noise and emissions, less protective measures (such as decibel level limiting) are needed for protecting people nearby from these emissions. The structure of a Sustainable Energy Centre is generally smaller and quieter than that of a coal-fired power plant.
A Sustainable Energy Centre is a technology that can help to reduce the effects of global warming by replacing coal-fired power plants. It has many advantages as compared to other forms of electricity generation, and it is becoming popular in the modern world. With the growing desire for energy conservation, and the need to reduce fossil fuel usage, the future of Sustainable Energy Centres looks bright.