Advanced Renewable Energy Storage and Recycled Water Project
Innovative power control system that will reduce the price of recycled water.
Victor Valley Wastewater Reclamation Authority (VVWRA)
Recipient
Victorville, CA
Recipient Location
21st
Senate District
33rd
Assembly District
$1,416,893
Amount Spent
Completed
Project Status
Project Result
Project is complete and final report published. Primus Power was only able to deliver two of the eight flow batteries it had committed, and thus the full energy management system was not completed for the project. Although the energy management system as originally conceived could not be constructed and tested, other components of the system were built. The smart controller was constructed and programmed. A foundation for the flow batteries was created and its ability to command the batteries was evaluated with the two delivered batteries.
The Issue
Several California wastewater treatment plants have on-site power generation systems fueled by biogas. Many of these systems are unable to respond to variable onsite electrical loads, which can result in tripping off a facility's wastewater treatment equipment, which in turn shut down the onsite power generation system. This shutdown results in increased power costs, reliance on grid power, a corresponding reduced ability to produce recycled water. An effective power control system is needed that can reliably collect and store excess renewable electricity generated on site to respond to variable electrical loads to reduce the cost and increase the availability of producing recycled water.
Project Innovation
The Victor Valley Wastewater Reclamation Authority (VVWRA), in partnership with Primus Power, University of California Riverside (UCR), and Anaergia, aimed to demonstrate an advanced, pre-commercial flow battery storage and control system at VVWRA's existing Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant, located in a disadvantaged community outside of Victorville. The project planned to deploy Primus Power's ENERGYPOD flow battery system in a 240 kW/1,200 kWh configuration, managed by a UCR-designed controller system that is optimized specifically for management, generation and storage of renewable energy power. The project hoped to alleviate rapid fluctuations in the wastewater treatment plant's power demand that causes disruption of the disinfection system used to treat recycled water to California standards, resulting in the disposal of approximately 2.5 million gallons of water annually.
Project Benefits
The project hoped to demonstrate an advanced battery storage and control system coupled with on-site renewable energy generation and its ability to control rapid changes in on site power demands. If successful, such an approach could reduce grid power demand and reduce energy costs to wastewater treatment plants and alleviate disruptions in recycled water production due to high variability of on-site power loads which can cause partial treatment shutdowns. The approach could be applicable to other wastewater treatment and industrial plants in California. The project was not completed due to the flow battery manufacturer inability to deliver all planned batteries.
Affordability
This project planned to use a battery storage system combined with an advanced controller to enable the wastewater treatment plant to accommodate variable loads, increase onsite renewable power production, and substantially reduce its reliance on grid power. If completed the project could have reduced annual grid power demand by 4.2 million kWh or nearly $473,000 in cost savings to the treatment plant.
Economic Development
Stored power would have been used to meet peak demand on site with 100% renewable energy, reducing grid power consumption by an estimated 4.2 million kWh/yr.
Key Project Members
Logan Olds
Subrecipients
The Regents of the University of California on behalf of the Riverside campus
Primus Power Corporation
Anaergia Services
Match Partners
Primus Power Corporation
Victor Valley Wastewater Reclamation Authority (VVWRA)
