Water & Wastewater Treatment Magazine
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Water firms explore new relationship with energy The Talk: Events E nergy managers and leaders from the UK's water companies met in Birmingham on 11 June for a day of knowledge-sharing and debate on the future of energy use and generation in the UK water sector. Chris Evans, energy efficiency manager at Anglian Water, chaired the conference. He opened the day by setting the scene around the water industry's commitments and how the water and energy industry will need to come together to achieve them. Water company leaders from Anglian Water, United Utilities, Severn Trent, Scot- tish Water, Welsh Water and SES Water presented topics including energy reduc- tion and efficiency, generation, storage and renewables and data analytics. Scott Sandles, senior adviser, energy system transition, systems and networks, Ofgem, described in some detail the new electricity supply charging structure, begin- ning in 2021. Differential pricing, based on demand, and conditions on access could include 'use it or lose it' provisions and possibly peak- time rebates. The potential consequences of breaches of agreed capacity were described as con- tentious by delegates, who noted the wet weather on the day of the conference and the resulting increased energy needs. Sandles said that the reforms should en- able the connection of low-carbon technolo- gies by reducing the cost of accommodating them and emphasised that Ofgem itself is technology neutral. The rise of prosumers Adam Sims, power responsive manager, future markets, National Grid ESO, said that taking full advantage of opportunities for cost saving from digitisation requires extensive and accurate data. The target of achieving zero Delegates at WWT's Water Industry Energy Conference heard contributions and shared ideas on optimising energy usage and saving costs By Ruari McCallion carbon in transmission by 2025 will require cross-industry collaboration. Initiatives such as the Open Networks Project help to bring different stakeholders together. He described the current system as "de- signed for the coal-fired era". The new reality is defined by multiple generation sources, digitisation and real-time pricing. The subsequent panel discussion raised the point that Ofwat is placing more responsi- bility on water companies for resilience, which is at variance with increasing disruption. Reduction and efficiency Pat Horne, chief engineer, energy, United Utilities, described how the company has brought together its global assets, im- proved monitoring and controls, response to market signals, and is driving to reduce dependence on the National Grid when prices are high. The strategy's three core elements are: to use less; use smarter; and generate more. To an extent, security of supply is in the hands of companies themselves. Horne talked of the need to create a "want culture" as well as using a stick to get personnel engagement. Historically, when companies have focused on technology, the initial target is delivered but performance subsequently drišs. The use of ISO 50001, a plan/do/check/act strategy and the adop- tion of standard operating protocols help improve engagement. Its energy portal provides a visual presentation of current and recent years performance. Historical data demonstrates the cumulative effect of improvement. United Utilities is generating its own electricity from a mixture of sources and has taken the decision to focus on kWh usage and to use a mixture of automa- tion and human supervision, rather than automation alone. 12 | JULY 2019 | WWT | www.wwtonline.co.uk Energy: Generation, storage and renewables Among the challenges that Thames Water faces is an ageing infrastructure and grow- ing demand, according to Angus Berry, head of energy and carbon. Pressures to improve are coming from customers them- selves, who are raising green issues, includ- ing carbon neutrality and lower emissions. Nearly half (49 per cent) of Thames Water's emissions are connected with electricity. Its priority projects include sludge to energy; on-site solar PV; on-site gas and wind genera- tion; gas to grid; heating; variable generation storage; and private wire hubs. Ben Burggraaf, head of energy optimisa- tion, Dwr Cymru Welsh Water, very strongly made the point that putting in renewable generation does not in itself reduce energy consumption. The company charges sites on their consumption, which helps to focus awareness on usage. "Our priorities include the reduction of energy consumption by three per cent, year on year. We are looking to spend something like 50 per cent of capex on energy-efficient generation," he said. Elsewhere, the company is seeking to boost customer engagement to significantly reduce water use and complete new energy efficient technologies. Summing up the conference, Anglian Water's Evans, who is also chair of Water UK's Energy Managers Forum, said: "It was clear that many of the challenges we face are common and there was a real sense that by working closely with regulators, energy suppliers and the supply chain, effective solutions and approaches will be imple- mented, securing excellent water services for our customers while protecting the environment." The WWT Water Industry Energy Confer- ence was held on 11 June in Birmingham