CEC Workshop Looks at Ways to Promote New Water and Wastewater Technologies

The California Energy Commission (CEC) will hold a workshop on Nov. 19 to examine innovations in water treatment, delivery, and energy recovery and to identify pathways to commercialize emerging technologies.

The workshop, which will run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Sacramento, is supported by the CEC’s Electric Program Investment Charge (EPIC) program, which drives clean energy innovation and entrepreneurship. Participants include CEC staff and representatives from other government agencies, California water and wastewater agencies, engineers, universities, and industry.

The workshop opens with a panel discussion examining advances in wastewater treatment that reduce energy consumption, opportunities to deploy innovative technologies at treatment plants, and future research needs. Later panels will examine energy efficiency and water efficiency advancements, energy recovery projects, opportunities for water agencies to implement new technologies, and future research needs.

The workshop supports the state’s energy and greenhouse gas reduction goals. Energy used to extract, treat, convey water and dispose of wastewater accounts for nearly 20 percent of California’s electricity consumption. Since 1996, there has been a 74 percent increase in energy use in municipal wastewater treatment and a 39 percent increase in energy usage for public drinking water systems.

More information can be found at the workshop webpage.

Photo courtesy of the city of San Francisco.