The threat of privatization and a public demand for cost-effective, streamlined services is forcing municipal water and wastewater systems across the United States to look for ways to reduce their overhead. With the cost of electric power often representing 15 to 30 percent of a water utilitys operating and management budget, many are seeking ways to reduce energy costs.
WaterWorld Magazine has teamed with the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) and the Department of Energy Motor Challenge program to sponsor the Energy Efficiency Forum for the Water & Wastewater Industry. The forum is designed for engineers, consultants, operators and owners of water and wastewater utilities. It will be held August 29-31 at the Catamaran Resort Hotel in San Diego.
The Department of Energy Motor Challenge Program will again sponsor a full-day workshop to kick off the Forum. The workshop will focus on use of the DOEs Pump System Assessment Tool (PSAT). The software ranks actions that water and wastewater plant staff can take to improve the efficiency of their pumping systems.
The first part of the workshop provides an overview of pump, motor, adjustable speed drive and fluid system performance characteristics. It follows up with a discussion of factors involved in field measurements for pumping systems, and will include demonstrations. The final section involves making sense of the field measurements; including how to use the PSAT software. It also will apply the software to specific examples. The workshop will be led by Don Casada of the Oakridge National Laboratory.
Changes in the electric power industry, and how those changes might impact the way municipalities buy power for their water systems, will be a key topic at the forum. Papers to be presented include the development of a comprehensive energy strategy by the East Bay Municipal Utility District and Automated Power Exchanges experience with power marketing in California.
Richard Jamieson of Powerware Solutions, corporate sponsor of the Energy Efficiency Forum, will present a workshop designed to help municipal water utilities take advantage of electric power deregulation. Jamieson advocates cooperative relationships between water and electric utilities.
"As can be seen in any competitive industry, coordination between sellers and buyers results in efficiency improvements on both sides of the transaction, enhancing the competitive position of both buyer and seller," Jamieson said. EPRI will host a roundtable discussion on the California Energy Commissions PIER Program, which is a direct result of electric utility deregulation.
Since 1997, EPRIs Municipal Water and Wastewater (MWW) Program and the California Energy Commission have collaborated with several entities in Southern California to conduct research on energy-related topics in water and wastewater treatment. This collaboration, funded through the California Energy Commissions Public Interest Environmental Research (PIER) program, involves Edison Technology Solutions (ETS), Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD), and Orange County Water District (OCWD).
The roundtable panel will include brief presentations on both the collaboration and the research under way by representatives from EPRIs MWW Program, ETS, MWD and OCWD. The presentations will be followed by a roundtable discussion on both the benefits and potential pitfalls of similar collaborations in other locations.
Two technical sessions of the Forum will be devoted to aeration technology, including actual case studies and discussions of new technologies. Other technical sessions will be devoted to optimizing motor and pumping systems, trimming energy costs, and on-site generation of power using biogas as a byproduct of the wastewater treatment process.
Attendees at EEF will have the opportunity to participate in two technical tours, one to the San Diego Metropolitan Biosolids Center (MBC) and a behind-the-scenes tour of San Diegos Sea World Water Park.
The Biosolids Center is located on 39 acres adjacent to San Diegos Miramar Landfill. MBC was completed in early 1998 and processes raw and digested solids to produce biosolids. A co-generation facility at the center uses landfill and biogas to produce 6.4 megawatts of electricity, 10 million BTU/hour of 180!F water to power the facilities at MBC, and six million BTU/hour of chilled water for air conditioning.
The 90 minute Technical Tour at Sea World will lead attendees from the seawater intake on the shores of the Pacific, through pumping galleries, the filtration plants and along the piping network serving the massive water park. Tour attendees will also visit the parks state-of-the art natural gas power generation facility.
The Catamaran Resort Hotel, site of the 99 Energy Efficiency Forum, is located on the shores of the Pacific Ocean, next door to Mission Bay, the worlds largest aquatic park. The Catamarans rooms and suites each have their own balcony or patio and come complete with refrigerator, hair dryers, coffee makers, irons and ironing boards.
Powerware Solutions will host a beach party reception for attendees on Monday, August 30, from 5:30 - 7 p.m. This social event will be a casual wind down from the days sessions. Hor doeurves and refreshments will be served.
For more information about the 1999 Energy Efficiency Forum contact Laura Boland, EEF Conference Coordinator: Tel: 918-831-9179; Fax: 918-831-9776, or by e-mail at [email protected].
