Drinking Water Regulations:estimated Cumulative Energy Use And Costs

摘要

Utilities should be concerned about using more energy, whether or not the increased use is for compliance with a drinking water regulation. With the rising cost of fuel and electricity, increased costs get passed on to the consumers through increased water rates. In addition, national attention is being placed on energy efficiency and independence. National energy policy is increasingly moving toward alternative energy and "green" technologies, and the focus on the use of these technologies by water andrnwastewater utilities will only increase in the future. Finally, energy demand and the use of the electricity transmission systems in the United States are increasing at a rate greater than upgrades to the current system or construction of new transmission facilities (EIA, 2003). In California, where generation capacity shortages in the summer of 2000 forced temporary power outages in the northern part of the state, generation capability decreased 2% from 1990 through 1999, whereas retail sales increased by 11% (EIA, 2005). As previously discussed, approximately 4% of the national electricity use is for water and wastewater treatment. However, in California the energy needed to pump and treat water increases to 19% of the electricity used in the state. The continued addition of advanced-and energy-intensive-treatment technologies will only add to the increasing electricity costs for water utilities and an increasing supply burden on electric utilities.