APPLIED ENERGY MANAGEMENT TOOLS AND PRACTICES

Since the California energy crisis of 2000/2001, East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) has continued to pursue energy management at the Main Wastewater Treatment Plant (MWWTP) as a priority. Efforts have focused on reducing demand without compromising plant operations. Over five years, average plant demand has been reduced by nearly one megawatt. In parallel, on-site generation has increased due to diversion of high strength wastes directly to the anaerobic digesters. Over five years, average on-site generation has increased by more than one megawatt. In order to further reduce costs of imported power, EBMUD entered into a contract with Western Area Power Administration (WAPA) to be the sole provider of electricity, in place of the local utility. This contract has increased the complexity of energy management by requiring hourly demand forecasts. A strategy was developed to optimize the power purchases through this contract and annual savings from this switch alone are expected to be approximately 300,000.