Water and Energy Efficiency: An Important Sub-Theme of EE Global 2012

Throughout the Alliance to Save Energy’s EE Global 2012 conference in Orlando, Fla., the topic of water and energy efficiency was prominently covered. The Alliance co-sponsored an all-day, pre-conference workshop on Monday with the Water Research Foundation (WRF) in which a dozen speakers, including one from the Alliance’s Industrial program, gave presentations on various aspects of water and energy efficiency. On Tuesday, the first official day of EE Global, the Alliance held another day-long workshop leading up to the conference’s opening plenary session, including discussions of ISO 50001’s impact on water and wastewater treatment facilities, and energy efficiency’s ability to mitigate future electricity price increases. Finally, on Wednesday, an executive dialogue session entitled “Plugging the Leak” assembled three distinguished speakers who addressed the economic and societal benefits of improving water and energy efficiency.

Florida’s Water/Energy Nexus

The WRF workshop addressed the water/energy nexus from a national perspective and then focused on issues specific to the state of Florida. Several experts shared some of the problems facing water and wastewater utilities including depleted aquifers, budget constraints and the impact of hydraulic fracturing (fracking) on water tables and wastewater treatment facilities. According to David Bracciano of Tampa Bay Water (TBW), the water/energy issue affects Florida somewhat differently from most states because it is comparatively flat. As a result, greater energy use is required throughout the state to treat and convey water since Florida cannot depend on gravity-based systems, like many other states.  

One water utility that is confronting these issues is Tampa Bay Water. Ms. Maribel Medina of TBW discussed their long-term energy management plan and how they expect to achieve annual pumping system energy savings of 25% from multiple pump retrofits at their major pumping stations.

Water and Energy Efficiency: The Watergy Experience

The Alliance’s Tuesday workshop began by outlining the nexus between water and energy. Several speakers discussed the importance of energy use in water supply and wastewater treatment including the impact of price increases, and other phenomena that can additional energy requirements such as treating the wastewater from ethanol production. The Alliance’s Vice President for International programs, Laura Van Wie-McGrory, gave an overview of the Watergy approach and how Watergy has helped many municipalities around the world save both energy and water.

In the other panels, speakers addressed topics such as industrial water and energy efficiency, financing issues and technologies that can enable gains in water and energy efficiency. The president of Policy Navigation Group, Jonathan Gledhill, discussed research from his company showing that energy efficiency will be critical for water and wastewater treatment facilities to mitigate against future electricity price increases. As a result, the application of tools such as the ISO 50001 energy management standard will be highly important for the water and wastewater sector.

Another insightful presentation came from Mr. Will Kirksey, Senior Vice President of Worrell Water Technologies. According to Kirksey, end users need to begin thinking about water and energy issues unconventionally to achieve significant water and energy efficiency gains. As an example, Kirksey urged the audience, “instead of asking how ‘can we make more efficient pumps?’ we should ask ‘do we need the pumping capacity we have?’” Approaching water and energy issues in this manner can lead to truly sustainable water and energy savings.

The workshop was punctuated by the presentation of a certificate of achievement to Mr. Ben Jones, CEO of the Bucks County Water and Sewer Authority (BCWSA), for being the first U.S. water and sewer agency to implement Watergy. The Alliance’s President, Kateri Callahan, presented the award on behalf of Alliance.

Plugging the Leaks

The Executive Dialogue session on water and energy efficiency was moderated by Elizabeth Craig, Director of Climate Protection Partnerships Division of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.  Emilio Tenuta, Vice President of Sustainability for Nalco (an Ecolab company) discussed the need for proper water treatment as a way to help improve water and energy efficiency in the industrial sector. Mohandas Seneviratne, Principal Industry Specialist at the International Finance Corporation, discussed the water footprints of agricultural assets, including livestock, and the fact that more water and energy will be needed by such assets to accommodate the world’s growing population. According to Seneviratne, significant investments in water supply and treatment will be needed.

Lastly, Ben Jones, CEO of BCWSA, discussed his agency’s approach to sustainability. Because sustainability is important for the residents of Bucks County, BCWSA has a longstanding policy of implementing water and energy and efficiency measures. Mr. Jones explained that it was important for BCWSA to obtain a neutral, third-party assessment to see if their approach towards energy efficiency could be enhanced further. This is why they turned to the Alliance’s Watergy program. In addition to the assessment, they decided to obtain training in energy management to develop an energy team that could assess additional facilities continuously and refine their corporate culture of sustainability to continue achieving persistent water and energy savings. BCWSA’s efforts were showcased in a groundbreaking video.