New power for War Memorial
The Australian War Memorial has launched the nation's largest geothermal energy system.
The system, activated last week, is projected to cut energy costs by up to $1 million annually and reduce carbon emissions by 1,400 tonnes of CO2 equivalent each year.
The geothermal system includes 216 vertical closed-loop boreholes and 128 kilometres of piping, making it one of the largest of its kind worldwide.
Matt Keogh, Minister for Veterans' Affairs, says it will have both financial and environmental benefits.
“It’s only appropriate that in commemorating their service, we are preserving it for generations to come,” he said.
The emissions reductions are said to be comparable to that generated by 87,500 students travelling from Sydney to Canberra for visits to the Memorial.