Energy optimization and micro-hydro solution in WSS: a case study

September 2011

The use of renewable energy to generate electricity in water supply systems is innovative and has many advantages for the system itself and for the environment. The technical and financial evaluation of the implementation of generators with renewable energy are only part of the solution, once the optimization of the system operation also involves a reduction in costs of the water consumption and ensures a greater financial return to the authority administration. In this study the authors intend to demonstrate the gain in the energy efficiency applied to water supply systems (WSS) with the use of optimization algorithms in the operational pumping systems having the objective to minimize the costs due to the electricity tariff ensuring, at the same time, the hydraulic behaviour, the existing water demand and the installation of a micro-hydro solution for power generation. A case study was developed in a small WSS in Portugal, in the district of Ourém, where a micro-turbine is considered upstream of a reservoir and the payback, the net present value (NPV) and the internal rate of return (IRR) were estimated. For the optimization of the pumping system genetic algorithms (GA) are used, ensuring a less number of start-ups for the pumps’ operation. Great savings are obtained when compared to the original system, also ensuring a good return of the investment with the implementation of a micro-hydro solution.

Authors in the community:

• 

  F

  Fábio Veríssimo Gonçalves

  ist32993

• 

  H

  Helena Margarida Machado da Silva Ramos

  ist12110

  Affiliations and sources

  IST > CEHIDRO

  Centro de Estudos de Hidrossistemas

  IST > DECivil

  Departamento de Engenharia Civil, Arquitetura e Ambiente

NA - Not Applicable

Conferência

Exeter, UK

civil-engineering - Civil engineering

Keywords

• Renewable energy systems
• water supply systems
• micro-hydro
• genetic algorithms
• operational optimization

eng - English