Should I be replacing my halogen lights with LEDs? What about CFLs, tube fluorescents, or incandescent?
Should I be boiling water in an electric jug, on the electric stove top, or kettle on a gas stove?
On my farm, can I use waste manure and straw to produce methane gas? Can I use this methane gas to produce electricity, and how? Can I run my tractor and vehicles on fuel made on my farm?
Are double or triple glazed windows really worth it?
The Dorrigo Energy Centre aims to answer these and many more questions to provide trustworthy and practical information about energy use in business and home.
It will offer an enjoyable and educational opportunity to experience a diverse range of energy technologies, and experience how those technologies impact on day to day life.
Full-scale examples of micro-hydro, wind, solar thermal, solar photovoltaic, biogas, building design, building use, and others will be on display. We want to show what works and what doesn’t work.
Training courses in a range of technologies will provide real solutions and real knowledge to allow for informed choices for Australians and visitors.
Energy has always been essential for human existence. For cooking, for providing warmth, for lighting; humans have always excelled at finding different ways to improve our lives. Our range of accessible energy sources has expanded significantly from just flame-based (a fire) to electricity, gas, liquid fuels, batteries etc. Unfortunately, in these modern times of energy diversity, trustworthy information about energy and energy use is hard to find as the ‘energy debate’ is commonly hijacked by polarised viewpoints. The result is that the majority of people struggle to make simple decisions, such as whether or not to replace their halogen lights with compact fluorescents (CFLs) or LEDs (light emitting diodes).
We believe the Dorrigo Energy Centre will become globally recognised as a centre of excellence offering real and practical solutions.