The main energy issue at Loy Yang Power is to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Electricity is a form of energy, and making electricity produces carbon dioxide, a gas which in large amounts may contribute to the Enhanced Greenhouse Effect.
The diagram shows how the Enhanced Greenhouse Effect works.
For each tonne of coal burnt at Loy Yang Power, about 1.2 tonnes of carbon dioxide gas (CO2) is produced. This makes up 40% of Victoria's greenhouse gas emissions (another big contributor is car exhausts).
Loy Yang Power uses 8 - 10% of the electricity it generates, just to operate itself! This is more than the amount that the whole of the Latrobe Valley uses.
Loy Yang Power aims to make the power plant more efficient (that is, to produce as much electricity as possible using as little coal as possible, and therefore producing as little CO2 as possible). It is also trying to reduce its own use of electricity, like all Victorian households and businesses should aim to do.
The company is researching into:
The company's tree-planting program helps reduce CO2 in the air. (Trees, like all plants, use up CO2 to make food in a process called 'photosynthesis').
To decrease its own electricity use, Loy Yang Power shuts down conveyors and other equipment when they're not needed. This is like you switching off the light when you leave a room. The Loy Yang web-site suggests a number of ways everyone can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Pie chart showing the average proportion of greenhouse gas emissions resulting from typical domestic activities for an Australian household.
