Creating New Revenue With Existing Processes: Evaluating Grid Balance™ With Demand-side Loads At Wastewater Treatment Plants Using Dynamic Modeling

The electricity system requires real-time balancing through Grid Balance™ traditionally provided by generation, but recently provided by demand-side loads. ENBALA Power Networks' platform enables loads at wastewater treatment plants to provide this service, specifically aeration basin blowers due to the large duty load, process flexibility, and available process storage.Grid BalanceTM was demonstrated using dynamic modeling and simulation software GPS-X (Hydromantis ESS Inc., Hamilton, ON, Canada, 2012). Models of wastewater treatment processes are used to demonstrate how demand-side loads can be connected to the grid to generate revenue, help the electricity systems run more efficiently, provide reliability, and lengthen the lifespan of existing infrastructure while reducing greenhouse gases.The models demonstrated that Grid BalanceTM did not affect the process and maintained fully treated wastewater for discharge. Mechanics of blower operation were determined to be typical in terms of the frequency and the size of the power change request.