LEGAL AND REGULATORY IMPEDIMENTS TO SMALLAND MID-SCALE ENERGY GENERATION AT WASTEWATER FACILITIES

摘要

Although many wastewater streams have an energy content sufficient to reduce, or evenentirely offset, the energy cost of wastewater treatment, the benefits of waste energygeneration have not been fully realized in the United States. Lost opportunities are due inpart to the legal burdens of constructing and operating energy infrastructure, which canbe imposing for small and mid scale facilities. The objective of this work is to explorethe legal and regulatory requirements of a wastewater energy system at a municipal oragricultural wastewater facility in the United States. Regulatory situations are found tobe widely variable throughout the country and while some projects may experience fewregulatory challenges, others experience great difficulties. A trend toward cohesivepolicies is likely to simplify future projects. However, current prospective wastewaterenergy plants should conduct extensive research to assess their specific regulatorysituation prior to investment in a recovery project.