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Some municipalities are looking at solar panels to power the energy intensive waste water treatment systems.  But studies prove that solar technology is not as effective at reducing energy bills as zero energy aeration with a two year payback window.  The problem being   that most towns and municipalities do not have water treatment personnel skilled in energy conservation, so they don’t get it. Solar technology is moving up the curve but it is light-years away from being as efficient in waste water treatment energy consumption as zero energy aeration.

 The rational:

The costs associated with using traditional waste-water treatment is  very energy intensive and consume more than half of the total costs of the treatment facilities. With a recession less town and city subsidizes from the state and zero based budgeting, investments in waste-water treatment and the subsequent maintenance costs can be overwhelming. Not to mention, the environmental impact in treating waste-water, needless to say the energy it takes to do so can create another insurmountable problem with rising  costs. Thus, several companies have or are developing technologies that aim to achieve zero-energy aeration—to bring the aeration process as close as possible to utilizing “zero-(non-natural and costly) energy” sources.

Case studies done in the US and Europe where the technology has been used for a long time clearly prove that new zero energy aeration of waste-water is a far superior and efficient saver of electricity than sticking rows of solar panels in the acres of property near the waste water treatment plant.  Particularly if the waste-water treatment plant is in a known flood zone.

Springfield MA saves energy bill with this zero energy aeration technology:

Springfield, MA, had conventional activated sludge system and  replaced it with a tapered aeration-activated sludge system. The  equipment—low-speed mechanical surface aerators, which consumed 60% of the plant’s power—was replaced with three 1,250-horsepower Tumble single-stage systems of 28,600 scfm each and 8.3 psig. The system also features Ceramic diffusers. The 67-million-gallon-per-day plant has realized a 66% reduction in aeration system power consumption with a greatly improved operating efficiency. Springfield received a $750,000 energy efficiency rebate from the Western Massachusetts Electric Co.

 The business of saving waste water treatments plants energy costs:

LAS International manufactures two systems: Aero-Fac and Accel-o-Fac. The concept behind this type of waste-water treatment is to provide as much of the process as we can for as little cost per treated gallon than any type of low energy we can use,

Zero-energy systems significantly reduce electricity to a small amount. It comes into focus that if you can cut back on all forms of energy- and carbon-emission impact, it’s a far more sustainable approach going into the future.

In measuring the capital costs, aeration units are about the same price as conventional electric surface aerators. But, based on electrical costs alone, the units on average will recoup all capital costs within two to six years. Over the last 20 to 30 years, the average cost recapture period has been approximately two-and-a-half years.. But the equipment is somewhat unique in its ability to pay for itself. With energy costs increasing, this payback will become even more dramatic. Making it a FAR better  than fields of solar panels that will be obsolete and less costly with newer technologies in a year or two.