Final Step Approved to Export and Store Energy Generated at the Wastewater Treatment Plant
REDWOOD CITY, CALIF.—Silicon Valley Clean Water (SVCW) reached an important milestone that was years in the making when it received approval from PG&E to export energy generated at the treatment plant back into the power grid. This milestone advances green energy capabilities at SVCW by allowing onsite cogeneration engines to operate at their full capacity of 1,250 kW.
Not only can SVCW now export energy generated at the treatment plant back to the power grid, but the plant’s 1,040 kW Energy Storage System using Tesla batteries will now store energy at night when demand for energy is low and cost of energy is much cheaper. During the day, the batteries will discharge energy as needed when the demand increases. After being installed a year and a half ago, SVCW staff is excited to put the batteries to use for expanding their energy resiliency and efficiency and reduce the utility power cost. The Energy Storage System is expected to save up to $150,000 in utility bills every year. This milestone is the next step towards becoming more energy independent.
“Four years in the making, our vision of a green energy future is reached. This is a boon to our community members in that our power resiliency is assured for many years to come,” said Teresa Herrera, SVCW Manager. “When our RESCU Program is complete, SVCW will be positioned to serve our community with robust, cost efficient, and sustainable wastewater conveyance and treatment.”
On July 22, 2020, SVCW successfully completed the removal of programming that prevented power from being exported, conducted a full power discharge of the Tesla battery system, and energized the batteries, all without losing any power at the wastewater treatment plant. The success of these tasks and reaching this particular milestone reinforces Silicon Valley Clean Water’s commitment to being an environmental steward for protecting the San Francisco Bay and being an innovative leader in utilizing clean energy.
For more details about SVCW and its Energy Program, go to
www.svcw.org.
