Addressing Electrical Energy Resiliency – The Development of Union Sanitary District’s Roadmap to Energy Resiliency

Presentation Description: Union Sanitary District (USD) is implementing the largest capital improvement program in USD’s history with the currently underway Phase 1 of the Enhanced Treatment and Site Upgrade (ETSU) Program. Future energy needs and constraints, increasing electrical power shutoffs, and current financial incentives created a unique opportunity to assess options for new reliable sources of electrical energy for the Union City wastewater treatment and other USD owned facilities. USD tasked Black & Veatch with developing the Energy Resiliency Study (ERS) to evaluate currently available technologies to reduce electrical energy cost, maximize electrical energy production, and reduce overall dependence on outside electrical energy sources at six USD facilities and three USD-owned properties.
BV conducted an energy resiliency risk assessment on the USD facilities and properties to identify areas of focus for the ERS. A pairwise risk analysis was conducted to assess potential hazards and vulnerabilities to each facility’s electrical energy system and which factors were most important to USD staff. Energy resiliency solutions that include diversification of generation systems and introducing redundancy to the most vulnerable systems were identified as a key pathway for the ERS. After that, constraints and opportunities were determined to foresee potential permitting and potential roadblocks, and opportunities for incentives and funding (IRA, NEM, etc.).
BV and USD then collaboratively developed the ERS goals and alternatives based on the current conditions, future planning, and the risk assessment. Energy generation and storage technologies were analyzed to determine how well they fit the unique constraints and needs for each facility included in the ERS. Alternatives were developed by grouping technologies to help fit each facility’s needs the most, according to the ERS goals. The payback periods for each alternative were determined to assess the financial viability of each alternative. Then, each facility’s alternatives were analyzed, and one or more alternatives were recommended for each site. The presentation will explore the steps taken to overcome the challenges of defining and planning for electrical energy resiliency at USD facilities and properties as well as present unique opportunities for financial incentives and funding to implement energy generation and storage projects.