Forum to Discuss On-site Power Generation
Performance contracting to fund capital improvements, aeration system upgrades to lower energy costs and conducting audits to identify energy consuming systems will be among the topics discussed during the Energy Efficiency Forum for the Water & Wastewater Industry, to be helped August 27-29 in Philadelphia.
The agenda has been set for this third annual forum, which will feature the latest information on the conservation, purchasing and efficient use of power. The forum is hosted by WaterWorld and co-sponsored by the Department of Energy Motor Challenge Program, The Electric Power Research Institute, The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and the Water & Wastewater Equipment Manufacturer's Association.
Case studies examining successful projects at the Cincinnati Water Works, city of Portland, and the Suffolk County Department of Public Works will be featured, as will projects by the City of Bethlehem, Philadelphia and Baltimore. Programs used by the American Water Works Company and the New Jersey-American Water Company to conserve energy and lower energy costs will also be discussed.
Duane Sanger of the City of Portland is scheduled to discuss that city's use of fuel cells to generate power using waste methane at the city's Columbia Boulevard Wastewater Treatment Plant. The city began to research ways to use its anaerobic digester gas in 1995. The city examined the option of selling untreated digester gas to a neighboring industrial users and scrubbing the gas before selling it to the local gas utility. The city also considered generating electricity on site in combustion engines but were concerned about air pollution.
The use of fuel cells was initially considered to be too costly, however grants from the U.S. Department of Defense, State of Oregon and Portland General Electric significantly reduced the city's project costs. Sanger will discuss the program's challenges and the steps needed to make such a project work.
On-site generation of power by the city of Fresno will also be the topic of a paper presented by Matt Clark of HDR Engineering. Fresno has for some time been using internal combustion engines running on digester gas to generate a small portion of the electrical needs of its 80 mgd wastewater treatment plan.
The city recently adopted a plan to purchase existing equipment from a cogeneration site in Chula Vista, Calif., and move the facility to Fresno. The plant includes two combustion turbines, two heat recovery generators and a steam turbine generator. The combustion generators will be modified to burn a blended fuel of digester gas and natural gas. The steam generated will be used for digester heating. The new facility will have a nominal electric generating capacity of 8.5 MW and will serve the entire electric needs of the facility with reserve capacity of approximately 3 MW.
The Energy Efficiency Forum will include a DOE Motor Challenge Program workshop on making the most out of motor driven pumping systems. The workshop will be followed by a tour of Philadelphia's Southwest Water Pollution Control Plant. The tour will focus on improvements in the plant's operation that have resulted in reductions in energy consumption, including examination of its variable frequency drives and state-of-the-art control systems.
For more information on the conference, or to register, contact Marvetta McNeel, Events Coordinator, at 918-831-9500; e-mail: [email protected]