Back to Topic List

Energy Optimization

For most water facilities, energy is one of the highest costs in their operating budget. Stricter regulations are pushing facilities to use even more advanced—and energy-intensive—treatment technologies. Optimizing energy use can provide huge cost savings and numerous additional benefits, including improving air quality, protecting the environment, and bolstering energy security. WRF has published more than 100 projects that explore ways to not only optimize current energy use, but to generate power as well—setting the course for a self-sufficient water sector.

For more information, contact Ashwin Dhanasekar.

Topic Overview (PDF)
126 Projects 9 Web Tools 4 Case Studies 7 Webcasts
Integrated Planning & Water Management
Resource Recovery
Anaerobic Digestion
Innovation
Project #4843

Integrating Sewage Thermal Energy Use (STEU) and Other Emerging Water-Energy-Waste Technologies into Decentralized/Distributed Systems

$42,880
Completed

Project Highlights

The persistent challenges and threats posed by climate change, natural resource depletion, increased pollution, and growing economic inequality have led to a recognition: a sustainable future requires new approaches to the way societies design, build, and operate critical systems. This...

View more details
Principal Investigator
Svetlana
Taylor
Research Manager
Mr. Ashwin Dhanasekar

Energy is Embedded in Wastewater

This video discusses a suite of past WRF research co-funded by the New York State Energy Research & Development Authority (NYSERDA), which focused on barriers to and strategies for energy optimization at water resource recovery facilities. 

Recent Updates

Project #5091
Developing a Framework for Quantifying Energy ...

Reporting Period: March 1, 2022 - August 1, 2022

Project Update
02/08/2023
Project #5091
Developing a Framework for Quantifying Energy ...

Reporting Period: June 2021 - August 2021. Project work to date has focused on (1) confirming...

Project Update
12/22/2021
Project #4969
One Water Cities: Development of Guidance Documents and Assessment...

Reporting Period: October 16, 2021 - April 15, 2022

Project Update
10/04/2022
Project #4969
One Water Cities: Development of Guidance Documents and Assessment...

Reporting Period: April 16, 2021 – October 15, 2021. Over the course of the reporting period...

Project Update
02/18/2022
Project #4969
One Water Cities: Development of Guidance Documents and Assessment...

Reporting Period: October 15, 2020 – April 15, 2021. Over the course of the reporting period...

Project Update
06/28/2021
Project #4969
One Water Cities: Development of Guidance Documents and Assessment...

Reporting Period: January 15 – October 15, 2020. Over the course of the reporting period the...

Project Update
12/07/2020
Project #5168
Enhancing Drinking Water Treatment Resilience to ...

Reporting Period: October 2022 – May 2023

Project Update
07/25/2023
Project #5105
Advancing Benefits and Co-Benefits Quantification and...

Reporting Period: January - June 2022

Project Update
10/28/2022
Project #5087
Implementation of Innovative Biological Nutrient Removal...

Reporting Period: April - July 2022

Project Update
10/28/2022
Project #5084
Holistic and Innovative Approaches for Flood Mitigation Planning and...

Reporting Period:  December 2021-May 2022 

The project team has conducted fifteen interviews with utility participants

Project Update
09/14/2022

News

Biogas Derived from Organic Wastes

Magazine
Rajagopalan et al.
07/19/2023

Co-digestion has the potential to increase biogas production, improve digester performance, decrease operating costs, and reduce waste. Read the full article here.

Innovation and Collaboration in Ontario

Magazine
By Indra Maharjan and Aaron Law
07/18/2023

As the water sector meets new challenges and opportunities, innovation is more important than ever. Read the article here.

View all Energy Optimization News

Resources

View all Energy Optimization Resources

Related Topics

Link

Resource Recovery

Link

Anaerobic Digestion

Link

Integrated Planning & Water Management

Link

Utility Management

Like reading about Energy Optimization ?