WSSC turns to solar power to cut sewage- treatment electricity costs
DC Water turns to digester to produce electricity
Diagram of a typical wastewater treatment plant using the Cambi thermal hydrolysis process (courtesy of Cambi). |
It’s also about saving money.
Blue Plains, Washington, DC |
The annual savings are expected to more than cover the debt service on the $470
DC Digester Centrifuges |
The new process also is expected to cut the treatment plant’s greenhouse gas emissions by one-third. Blue Plains has less open land available for solar panels than some other treatment plants, he said. Still, DC Water is considering putting panels on some structures on the 150-acre campus.
The WSSC solar program is a public-private partnership. Washington Gas Energy Systems paid the $12 million to install the solar panels and will operate them for 20 years. The WSSC pays only for the solar power it uses. WSSC expect to save $3.5 million total in electricity costs over the 20 years and cut the two plants’ annual carbon dioxide emissions by 3,200 metric tons — described as the equivalent of taking 665 cars off the road.
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