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Raleigh Water says bioenergy project now fuels transit fleet and halves wastewater energy intensity
Summary
Raleigh Water told council the bioenergy recovery facility produces enough gas to fuel about 70 Go Raleigh buses and, when counted against plant energy, has roughly halved the plant's energy intensity; staff also described solar arrays and ongoing optimization at treatment facilities.
Raleigh Water officials told the City Council that the department's bioenergy recovery project is producing enough renewable gas to offset a substantial portion of transit fuel needs and that the project has markedly reduced wastewater treatment energy intensity.
Whit Wheeler presented an overview of Raleigh Water's energy use, saying the department spent nearly $11 million on power last year, with roughly $5 million at water treatment facilities and about $6 million at wastewater operations. He said pumping from lakes to treatment plants and lifting treated water into towers are the largest energy drivers on the potable side, while aeration blowers are the largest energy driver at the wastewater plant.
Wheeler highlighted the bioenergy recovery facility and said it is "producing enough gas for approximately 70 Go Raleigh buses." He said that when the bioenergy output is counted against facility energy consumption, the News River resource recovery facility's energy intensity is roughly half what it was before the bioenergy project came online. Wheeler also noted existing solar assets: a 0.25-megawatt array at the M. Johnson water treatment plant and a 1.3-megawatt public-private partnership array at News River. Staff said they are exploring larger solar opportunities at water facilities, including floating photovoltaics over treatment ponds and parking-canopy solar on larger sites.
Wheeler credited operational changes for part of the energy-intensity gains, noting a wastewater process engineer hired in 2016 helped reduce oxygen-loading requirements and thereby lower energy consumption by approximately 5% before bioenergy production further reduced net intensity.
Councilors praised the reduction in energy intensity and asked about opportunities for additional solar and for follow-up data; staff said more detailed metrics could be provided after the meeting.
