Characterization of Energy Profile and Load Flexibility in Regional Water Utilities for Cost Reduction and Sustainable Development

Water utilities use a significant amount of electrical energy due to the rising demand for wastewater treatment driven by environmental and economic reasons. The growing demand for energy, rising energy costs, and the drive toward achieving net-zero emissions require a sustainable energy future for the water industry. This can be achieved by integrating onsite renewable energy sources (RESs), energy storage, demand management, and participation in demand response (DR) programs. This paper analyzes the energy profile and load flexibility of water utilities using a data-driven approach to reduce energy costs by leveraging RESs for regional water utilities. It also assesses the potential for DR participation across different types of water utilities, considering peak-load shifting and battery storage installations. Given the increasing frequency of extreme weather events, such as bushfires, heatwaves, droughts, and prolonged cold and wet season floods, regional water industries in Australia serve as a relevant case study of sectors already impacted by these challenges. First, the data characteristics across the water and energy components of regional water industries are analyzed. Next, barriers and challenges in data acquisition and processing in water industries are identified and recommendations are made for improving data coordination (interoperability) to enable the use of a single platform for identifying DR opportunities. Finally, the energy profile and load flexibility of regional water industries are examined to evaluate onsite generation and battery storage options for participating in DR operations. Operational data from four regional sites across two regional Australian water utilities are used in this study.