John Taylor, Professor of Economics at Stanford University and developer of the "Taylor Rule" for setting interest rates | Stanford University
John Taylor, Professor of Economics at Stanford University and developer of the "Taylor Rule" for setting interest rates | Stanford University
New Stanford-led research suggests that water systems, including desalination plants and wastewater treatment facilities, could play a significant role in making renewable energy more affordable and reliable. The study, published on September 27 in Nature Water, introduces a framework to evaluate how water systems can adjust their energy consumption to help balance the power grid's supply and demand.
“If we’re going to reach net zero, we need demand-side energy solutions, and water systems represent a largely untapped resource,” said Akshay Rao, an environmental engineering PhD student at the Stanford School of Engineering and lead author of the study. “Our method helps water operators and energy managers make better decisions about how to coordinate these infrastructure systems to simultaneously meet our decarbonization and water reliability goals.”
The project was funded by the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment’s Realizing Environmental Innovation Program.
As renewable energy sources like wind and solar become more prevalent, balancing energy supply and demand poses increasing challenges. Traditionally, technologies like batteries have been used for this purpose but are often costly. An alternative is to encourage demand-side flexibility from large-load consumers such as water conveyance and treatment providers. According to Rao and his co-authors, water systems—which consume up to 5% of the nation's electricity—could offer benefits similar to batteries by adjusting operations based on real-time energy needs.
To harness this potential, researchers developed a framework assessing the value of energy flexibility from both electric power grid operators' and water system operators' perspectives. This framework compares these values with other grid-scale energy storage solutions like lithium-ion batteries while considering factors such as reliability risks, compliance risks, and capital upgrade costs associated with delivering energy flexibility through critical infrastructure systems.
Researchers tested their method on various facilities: a seawater desalination plant, a water distribution system, and a wastewater treatment plant. They also examined different tariff structures and electricity rates from utilities in California, Texas, Florida, and New York.
Findings indicate that these systems could shift up to 30% of their energy use during peak demand times. This shift could result in substantial cost savings and reduce pressure on the grid. Desalination plants showed the highest potential for this kind of flexibility by adjusting recovery rates or shutting down specific operations when electricity prices were high.
The framework aims to assist electricity grid operators in evaluating energy flexibility resources across various water systems compared with other options. It also seeks to help water utility operators make informed financial decisions about designing and operating their plants amid rapidly changing electricity grids.
The study emphasizes the importance of energy pricing for maximizing this flexibility. Facilities paying varying rates for energy at different times could see significant benefits. They might even generate additional revenue by reducing energy use when the grid is stressed under utility-offered programs.
“Our study gives water and energy managers a tool to make smarter choices,” said Rao. “With the right investments and policies, water systems can play a key role in making the transition to renewable energy smoother and more affordable.”
Meagan Mauter is the senior author of this paper; she is an associate professor in photon science at Stanford University. She also holds senior fellow positions at both the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment and Precourt Institute for Energy while serving as an associate professor by courtesy of chemical engineering.
Co-authors include Jose Bolorinos and Erin Musabandesu, postdoctoral scholars in civil and environmental engineering; Fletcher Chapin contributed as a PhD student in environmental engineering during the research period.
The research received support from the National Alliance for Water Innovation and the U.S. Department of Energy.
For media inquiries:
- Meagan Mauter: mauter@stanford.edu
- Akshay Rao: raoak@stanford.edu
- Rob Jordan: 650-721-1881 or rjordan@stanford.edu
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