Pumping and treating water is energy intensive. Therefore, identifying energy and cost-saving opportunities within the water sector is attractive. Analyzing the potential flexibility of such large loads is of interest to energy companies as decarbonization prompts shifts in how electricity is generated.
To tackle this opportunity, the Department of Energy (DOE) has selected EPRI to lead a project on electrification and water treatment strategies as part of its $9 million National Alliance for Water Innovation Pilot Program. The twelve projects in the program will drive decarbonization of the water and wastewater sectors. Through innovative technologies to treat, use, and recycle water, the program’s objective is to provide society with climate-resilient, cost-effective water supplies.
EPRI’s study, “Optimizing Electric and Water Grid Coordination under Technical, Operational, and Environmental Considerations,” may provide insights for addressing water reuse and sustainability issues for the public benefit. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory and Colorado State University are research collaborators on the project. Leveraging the project team’s expertise in both energy and water, they will examine strategies to coordinate water system operations with the electric grid. The key research question will address: how might a water utility coordinate with electrification opportunities now and in the future? The research will examine water treatment efforts in the Salt River Project (SRP) service area and the Water Replenishment District of Southern California (WRD).
The team will examine changes and effects of integrating water utilities with a suite of energy options as shown in Figure 1. The analysis aims to guide water utilities in adapting increased deployment of renewable energy and distributed generation. This integration of renewable generation and energy storage has the added benefit of potentially reducing water utilities’ energy demand and costs.
Figure 1, cover photo: Potential hybrid power configuration in the proximity of a water treatment plant.
The team will benchmark and review results with both SRP and WRD to share insights between a combined energy-and-water utility and a water utility. Determining the ways in which a water treatment facility can employ flexible operations and low-carbon energy sources in concert with the practical realities of the treatment equipment will be important.
Outcomes from this project can be used to guide investments and treatment plant design, which could provide benefits for water and electric grid coordination as the country moves forward with electrification.