Thursday, November 08, 2007 Trash-powered aircons in CH ‘ready’ in 6 mos.
CEBU City Mayor Tomas Osmeña considers the use of garbage-powered air-conditioning units as a good measure in cutting down electricity consumption, after some sectors called for immediate energy conservation when oil prices in the world market rose to above $98 per barrel yesterday.
He said he will present the air-cons’ potential, which will cost the City some P25 million, at the new City Hall six months from now.
“The biggest source of consumption in Cebu City is air-cons. We will burn our own garbage to produce steam, which will then produce energy for these units,” he told reporters yesterday.
Save energy, money
Once they will be operational, Osmeña said the “people will see for themselves that not only will City Hall be conserving energy but also saving money.”
If proven efficient, the cooling system in City Hall, which is also seen to give a 25-percent savings in electricity bills, will be used in the entire South Road Properties (SRP). Bio-gas collected from the Inayawan landfill will be used to power it.
Lithium bromide
The mayor looks forward to earning “carbon credits” in the form of cash incentives when he introduces the cooling system.
Lithium bromide absorption chillers will be used instead of compressors. The chillers will be powered by steam, and not by regular fuel.
The Kyoto Protocol on Climate Change allows governments to earn carbon credits for helping reduce carbon dioxide emissions.
Osmeña admitted that there is little effort on the part of the government to come up with programs on cutting down energy consumption.
“We think of everything else except this. So we made sure that the renovation of City Hall will include the best application of technology and make it a model not only for the country but also for the world,” he said.
As a start of this application, he will insist on the proper installation of air-con units for optimum minimal use.
50% savings
“When I got contractors to study the renovation of City Hall, they said we need 300 tons of garbage to power 25 air-handling air-con units. When I got American scientists to study the legislative building for free, they said that I could cut down 300 tons to 150 tons. Is that savings? That’s 50 percent savings,” he said.
Apart from regulating the source of power for air-con units, Osmeña also promotes the use of liquefied petroleum gas and the conversion of landfills into sources of electricity as energy conservation measures. (NRC)
