Maximising renewable gas export opportunities at wastewater treatment plants through the integration of alternate energy generation and storage options.

Decarbonisation of all sectors of the economy is required if humanity will meet the Paris Agreement. Emissions from the electricity sector have fallen considerably in the past 10 years, however, other sectors of the economy have not been able to keep pace due to their reliance on natural gas. Wastewater treatment plants are in a unique position to help these sectors as they are able to generate renewable biogas which can be used as a substitute for natural gas. Currently, some wastewater treatment plants burn their biogas to meet onsite energy requirements; however, there is growing scepticism in the industry as to whether this is the most effective use of this resource. The current study investigates whether it would be economically and environmentally beneficial for these wastewater treatment plants to sell their biogas and generate energy through other means. To this end a case study assessment of a plant in Adelaide, South Australia was undertaken. Results showed that all studied cases resulted in significant economic and environmental gains over the traditional biogas-only system, suggesting that there is considerable potential for future changes to the way wastewater treatment plant are operated to realise their full potential as urban resource recovery facilities.

Drivers and barriers to heat stress resilience.

Heatwaves are the most dangerous natural hazard to health in Australia. The frequency and intensity of heatwaves will increase due to climate change and urban heat island effects in cities, aggravating the negative impacts of heatwaves. Two approaches exist to develop population heat stress resilience. Firstly, the most vulnerable social groups can be identified and public health services can prepare for the increased morbidity. Secondly, the population level of adaptation and the heat stress resistance of the built environment can be increased. The evaluation of these measures and their efficiencies has been fragmented across research disciplines. This study explored the relationships between the elements of heat stress resilience and their potential demographic and housing drivers and barriers. The responses of a representative online survey (N=393) about heat stress resilience at home and work from Adelaide, South Australia were analysed. The empirical findings demonstrate that heat stress resistant buildings increased adaptation capacity and decreased the number of health problems. Air-conditioning increased dependence upon it, limited passive adaptation and only people living in homes with whole-house air-conditioning had less health problems during heatwaves. Tenants and respondents with pre-existing health conditions were the most vulnerable, particularly as those with health conditions were not aware of their vulnerability. The introduction of an Energy Performance Certificate is proposed and discussed as an effective incentive to increase the heat stress resistance of and the general knowledge about the built environment.

Can the Excess Heat Factor Indicate Heatwave-Related Morbidity? A Case Study in Adelaide, South Australia.

Although heatwave-related excess mortality and morbidity have been widely studied, results are not comparable spatially and often longitudinally because of different heatwave definitions applied. The excess heat factor (EHF) quantifies heatwave intensity relative to the local climate, enabling cross-regional comparisons. Previous studies have shown a strong relationship between EHFs and daily mortality during severe heatwaves. An extensive study about the relationship between EHFs and daily morbidity compared to the currently applied heatwave thresholds in Adelaide has not yet been undertaken. This paper analyzes the association of EHFs with daily morbidity between 2008 and 2014 in the Adelaide metropolitan region, South Australia, and probes three different approaches to calculate the EHF. The EHF is found to differentiate days with heatwave-related excess morbidity significantly better than other widely used weather parameters, resulting in fewer days per year with heatwave alerts than using previously proposed methods. The volume of excess morbidity can be predicted by the EHF more reliably with a model proposed for the SA Ambulance Service to support their heatwave preparation plan.