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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.

Topic Overview (PDF)
83 Projects 9 Web Tools 4 Case Studies 2 Webcasts
Integrated Planning & Water Management
Resource Recovery
Anaerobic Digestion
Innovation
Project #5062

A Distributed Renewable Energy Opportunities and Policy Workshop

$30,550
Completed

Project Highlights

This project expanded on the results of project 4625 by holding a science to policy workshop connecting research, industry, and policy. The workshops engaged local, state, and national water and energy professionals in discussions on the opportunities for distributed energy...

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Principal Investigator
Steven
Conrad
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: June 2021 - August 2021. Project work to date has focused on (1) confirming...

Project Update
12/22/2021
Project #4843
Integrating Sewage Thermal Energy Use (STEU) and Other Emerging...

Reporting Period: January 15, 2021 – July 15, 2021. The team is currently working on further...

Project Update
09/14/2022
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 #4849
Exploring Cost-Benefit Analysis of Post Long-Term Control Plan...

Reporting Period: April 2021 – June 2021. During this period, the project team continued collecting and...

Project Update
11/05/2021
Project #5037
Evaluation of Existing Source Separated Organic Feedstock Pre-Treatment...

Reporting Period: March 1, 2020 – August 31, 2020. The project team spent the first six...

Project Update
10/30/2020
Project #4971
Leveraging the Role of Pretreatment Programs in One Water Initiatives:...

Reporting Period: July 1, 2021 -- December 31, 2021. Recent progress focused on the analysis of...

Project Update
04/29/2022
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 #4971
Leveraging the Role of Pretreatment Programs in One Water Initiatives:...

Reporting Period: April 1, 2021 – June 30, 2021. Recent progress focused on the development and...

Project Update
09/10/2021
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 #5037
Evaluation of Existing Source Separated Organic Feedstock Pre-Treatment...

Reporting Period: September 1, 2020 – February 28, 2021. The last 6 months were spent addressing...

Project Update
04/16/2021

News

2021 Intelligent Water Systems Challenge Launched

Press Release
03/16/2021

The 2021 Intelligent Water Systems Challenge (IWS Challenge) is underway and will showcase innovative ways that intelligent water systems can be utilized by utilities to improve resilience. The overarching goal...

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Resources

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Related Topics

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Resource Recovery

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Anaerobic Digestion

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Integrated Planning & Water Management

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Utility Management

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