Mr Sparano says the two most important steps to reducing carbon emissions are using cleaner sources of fuel, and reducing our reliance on coal-fired power.

“If the rate of growth for electricity demand continues, it’s going to be incredibly difficult to achieve the global emissions targets we’re trying to set,” he says.

Using gas-fired power generation solves both of these problems, because not only is natural gas a cleaner energy source than coal, gas generators are more efficient – using significantly less energy per kilowatt of electricity generated than coal-fired power.

“MWM generators can produce the same power using approximately 5 per cent less fuel than other gas generators, and even up to 20 percent less than some. If you’re burning 5 per cent less fuel, that means lower emissions are being generated.

Gas-fired generators are also more efficient because they can work as cogeneration and trigeneration systems. Cogeneration – also known as combined heat and power – captures and reuses the waste heat, which is created as a byproduct of gas-fired generation.

“Cogeneration has a twofold effect: you reduce emissions by using a low emission generator as opposed to coal-fired power generation, and then you offset boilers and other existing hot water applications powered by electricity or gas. The latter is achieved by using the hot water and exhaust from the engine, which would otherwise be waste,” says Mr Sparano.

In trigeneration systems, the hot water is also used in an absorption chiller, which produces cold water that can be used for air conditioning and other cooling applications.

“Air conditioners can be very intensive in terms of electricity demand. By using trigeneration you now have the possibility of switching them off,” says Mr Sparano.

MWM has installed a number of generators in hospitals, office buildings, shopping centres and even in specialised applications such as abattoirs and breweries. Mr Sparano says the benefits of generating power onsite (embedded gas power generation) are that no electricity is lost in the transmission, and the owner has an increased level of energy security.

“Having generators where the need occurs, is a much better long-term solution than building large, remote centralised power stations and running expensive transmission lines, poles and wires, which need to be repaired and updated and have inherent power losses,” he says.

Embedded gas power generators have faced resistance from network owners in trying to connect generators to the main grid in some applications such as office buildings.

“In essence, you’ve got limited opportunity if you can’t connect parallel to the grid,” he says. Then there’s only a limited level of demand that can be offset from mechanical building services, and the real opportunity comes from offsetting building tenant load. This can only be done if connected to the grid.

“Electricity utilities are concerned that decentralised power generators can affect the stability of the network and really want to ensure that if you’re connecting, it’s not going to have any long-term effects on their network.” This is understood but can be to the detriment of energy efficiency projects, as the power generator will be responsible for any upgrades the network might require to handle the connection of the generator. This can have a significant effect on the overall cost of the project, sometimes making it non viable.

MWM would like to see the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme implemented, as it would provide some certainty and encourage customers to choose gas-fired generation.

Mr Sparano says “Fuel efficiency is important for reducing carbon emissions, but it is important for the power generator’s wallet as well. Using less fuel is good for the environment but also good for running costs of the power generator.

“Natural gas is a considerably better fuel than brown coal in terms of emissions. Gas generators may appear to some to be an interim solution, however efficiency gains alone make this a key contributor if we are to achieve significant emissions reductions in the future.”