TOMORROW'S World LPG Day 2023 marks the important contribution LPG plays in modern Australian life today, but also the pivotal role it will have in decarbonising Aussie homes, businesses and the many everyday activities we take for granted.
LPG use in Australia includes:
- 2 million households across metro and regional areas (22% of all dwellings) for in-home cooking, hot water and/or heating.
- 130,000 businesses – covering commercial uses in kitchens (restaurants, cafes, clubs, fish and chip shops), hospitals and schools for space heating and water heating, and recently as cargo shipping fuel, and industrial use in manufacturing fuelling furnaces for metals processing, as well as feedstock to make glass, plastic, metals, fertiliser, refrigeration, pharmaceuticals… to list just a few.
- Farm equipment to power water pumps and provide heating for crop drying, animal rearing and greenhouses (tomatoes and green leafy vegetables).
- Recreational uses covering 6 million Aussie BBQs, 750,000 caravans and campervans, as well as camping and boating equipment, outdoor heating and hot air ballooning.
"Not all gases are the same," Brett Heffernan, CEO of Gas Energy Australia, said today. "LPG is uniquely placed as a low emitting gas now, but in just a couple of years it will begin the transition to renewable, net zero alternatives. Renewable LPG (rLPG) will be in the Australian market as soon as 2025, and is scheduled to replace all conventional LPG supply by 2045.
"The huge benefit of rLPG is it's a simple 'drop-in' replacement. That means no extra costs to homeowners, businesses or community groups using it. Existing cylinders, pipes and appliances require no changes.
"It's a game-changer that negates the exorbitant costs of switching to electricity. If you have LPG you're perfectly positioned. Your existing appliances will be net zero over the same timeframe as electricity, while being cheaper and more reliable as the electricity grid comes under increasing pressure for supply.
"But rLPG will go even further to deliver actual zero emissions via technologies that create a closed loop process to take CO2 from the atmosphere to make the same LPG molecule. When the gas is burned, the impact on the climate is zero. Unlike solar, wind and other renewables, rLPG requires no offsets at any stage in its creation. It's the cleanest and purest solution.
"With 2 million Aussie families already using LPG set to benefit from zero-emitting rLPG in their homes from as early as 2025, phasing-out all conventional LPG by 2045, switching to all-electric appliances and rewiring households to cope doesn't stack up on costs and emissions.
"We have fielded calls from families who have been quoted on electrical refits and told not to expect change from $50,000. That's serious coin in anyone's language.
"Technology is moving at pace. Politicians and others claiming to be led by the science need to keep up with developments. Otherwise they risk locking families and businesses into so-called solutions that actually make emissions and cost-of-living pressures worse. LPG's clear, commercially viable transition to zero emissions is a boon for customers and a breakthrough that smart governments will seize upon."
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