Green Week 2012
Water and energy, qualitative & quantitative
linkages between two essential resources
Session 3.1 on 22 May 2012
Energy use in
water utilities
Bo N. Jacobsen
European Environment Agency
Several links in the water – energy nexus
Image: ActewAGL Education Website
Focus: Energy efficiency (intensity)
in water utilities
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Resource efficiency – policy - targets
New EEA report – launch at WWF6
EU resource–efficiency
policy
- Resource efficiency
- Sustainable water
management
Water-resource efficiency
- Water use efficiency
- Energy use in water
utilities
- Nutrient recovery
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Using markets
- Economic instruments
- Water pricing & cost recovery
Improved info on management
- Indicators
- Water accounting
- Water footprint and LCA
- Labelling, certification,
standards,..
Resource efficiency – policy - targets
Resource and impact decoupling
-
Resource decoupling can be achieved by improved
water/energy efficiency per GDP or population - is relative
- Impact decoupling requires reduction in water/energy use – is absolute
Source: UNEP, 2011
Resource efficiency – policy - targets
Energy efficiency in water utilities
• Currently no specific European regulations on energy efficiency in
water utilities
•
EC Communications
”Roadmap to a Resource Efficient Europe”
-
specifies milestones and activities for COM and Member States
describes general directions,
including water and energy efficiency
link
”European Innovation Partnership on Water”
-
•
- Establish a stakeholder platform and web-based Market Place
for water innovations in 2013
..”Innovative solutions focussing on the relationship between water and
energy, water efficiency (domestic and industrial), water quality, water
infrastructure, recreation, public health and ICT-enabled user awareness will
be of key importance.”..
Opportunity for water utilities / associations, pro-actively,
to formulate targets and corresponding commitments
Link
Resource efficiency – policy - targets
Global trends and policies on climate and
emissions/energy
• Global Targets: 2 degree celsius
• Regional targets: EU 20-20-20 by year 2020
• A reduction in EU greenhouse gas emissions of at least 20% below 1990 levels
• 20% of EU energy consumption to come from renewable resources
• A 20% reduction in primary energy use compared with projected levels, to be achieved
by improving energy efficiency
• National Targets: e.g., Netherlands: 30-30-30
• Utility targets?
• WWF6 targets: 20% improvement in energy efficiency (1990 level - 2020)
Energy intensity in the urban water cycle
The urban water cycle – energy nexus
Waste Water
Waste
water
treatment
Transport
to
waterworks
0.24 kWh/m3
Drinking Water
Drinking
water
treatment
0.9 - 10 kWh/m3
0.13 kWh/m3
Transport
sewage
water
Drinking
water
Distribution
0.11 kWh/m3
0.16 kWh/m3
Domestic
Water
use
> 50 kWh/m3
Data from Sweden
Based on: (Olsson, 2012 in press)
Energy intensity in the urban water cycle
Example of energy efficiency indicator:
Odyssee energy efficiency index (ODEX) (EU-27)
Water heating in households
20% improvement in efficiency !
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Source: (EEA, Ener22)
Energy intensity in the urban water cycle
Systematic analyses for UWWTP energy efficiency
in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
10-year experiences
•Energy consumption in 645 UWWTPs
1200 mio kWhe/y
•35 mio p.e. Served; 18 mio inhabitants
– 34 kWh/p.e.(load)/y or
– 67 kWh/p/y *)
•Support with up to 70% of cost for energy
analysis
•Since 2012 also support to measures
•Financed from effluent taxation revenue
•Experience: about 30% energy saving possible
most commonly by:
–
–
–
electricity and heat production from the
digester gas,
utilizing the heat energy contained in the
sewage
in some cases by the use of hydropower from
the slope of the wastewater plants
http://www.umwelt.nrw.de/umwelt/pdf/karte_komm_klaeranlagen.pdf
*) calculated by this author
Energy intensity in the urban water cycle
The influence of UWWTP size
Total electricity consumption in about 10,000 UWWTPs in Germany is 4400 GWh/y
http://www.bmu.de/files/english/pdf/application/pdf/faltblatt_wasserwirtschaft_en_bf.pdf
Corresponds well with mean of 33 kWh/p.e.
(European benchmarking Co-operation, 2010)
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Energy intensity in the urban water cycle
Total end-use electricity consumption per capita in 2008
(kWh/y/person)
In perspective:
- Total consumption ca. 5500 kWhe/y/p
- From earlier slide for urban wastewater treatment: 67 kWhe/y/p
In other words
-
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ca. 1.2 % of total electricity consumption
Ca. 7 W/p (small light bulb continously burning)
Net consumption lower where energy recovery takes place
Source: (ENER18)
Energy intensity in the urban water cycle
Inventory from UK indicate GHG emission related to water:
- Utilities: 0.8 %
- In homes: 5.5 %
(Defra, 2008; EA, 2008)
(Defra, 2008; EA, 2008)
Average ca. 10 t CO2-eq./y/p
Source: (EEA,2011)
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link
Energy intensity in the urban water cycle
Thermal energy from groundwater
Cooling from surface water
Waternet, Amsterdam (The Netherlands): Urban Water Cycle – Energy efficiency and recovery
• Consumption
> drinking water 45.000 MWh/yr (49 %)
> wastewater 39.000 MWh/yr (42 %)
> watersystem 8.000 MWh/yr ( 9 %)
Co-locating: Waste Water – Solid Waste Incinerator
• Production
biogas/sludge 25.000 MWh/yr
Source: Waternet 2011
Waste
Water
Plant
Sludge and Biogas
Heat and Electricity
Waste
Inceneration
Plant
Dissemination
Numerous technological solutions exist
- communicated via water associations
- incentives for further implementation needed
Link
Some IWA events on Water & Energy
- 2008: Workshop during World Water Congress, Vienna
- 2009: Int. Conference on W & E, Copenhagen
- 2010: Int. Conference on W & E, Amsterdam
- 2012: World Congress on W, C & E, Dublin
New books on Water & Energy
-- Interactions in Water Reuse
(Lazarova, Choo, and Cornel, 2012)
- Threats and Opportunities
Link
(Olsson, 2012 in press)
Numerous Tech.sci. Papers
- Instrumentation, control, automation, process optimisation,..
- Anaerobic treatment processes, co-digestion,..
- Heat exchange, ....
Link
Looking forward
Some open questions for establishing
water utility energy efficiency indicator(s):
Willingness to share data from water
utilities
… from plants, city administrations,
associations ?
Level of aggregation
… national, river basin district, per plant?
Boundary framing
Total energy balance /only electricity ?
Total UWWTP (incl./excl. Incinerations,
industrial pre-treatment, storm water,..
Normalisation
Per person, per p.e., per m3
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Looking forward
Existing data infrastructure in EU 27 can be used:
WISE has database and interactive maps for > 20,000 UWWTPs
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Link
Looking forward
Summary and way forward
Water and energy sectors can have several synergies in the climate change context
Power consumption by European water utilities is ”only” few % of use in society but has
reduction potentials
•
Like the rest of society, utilities need to reduce carbon footprints
•
Population growth and higher quality standards makes this more difficult
•
•
Technological solutions do exist - several good use case demonstrations
wastewater sector has a potential to become CO2-neutral
•
Fiscal incentives may accelerate implementation of sustainable technologies
Targets for water utilities should be set for energy efficiency
•
WWF6 targets: 20% improved energy efficiency (1990-2020)
– not enough for EU 20/20/20 targets (absolute reduction)
•
Indicators are needed to provide status and to monitor progress
•
Existing data infrastructures (WISE, Eye-on-Earth,..) may be helpful
Multi-stakeholder involvement needed
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•
Political level: policies, targets, support mechanisms
•
Technical operating level: new technology implementation & optimisation
•
User level: awareness and demand management
Thank you
for your attention!
Contact e-mail:
bo.jacobsen@eea.europa.eu
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