wastewater infrastructure

ater and wastewater

Winfrastructure is one of the biggest consumers of energy within a municipality’s operations and it is critical to start looking at ways to implement energy-efficient measures within these operations.

According to a 2017 guide compiled by Sustainable Energy Africa, Sustainable energy solutions for South African local government: a practical guide, “The indications are that on average water and wastewater accounts for some 17% of energy consumption in a South African metro. In terms of electricity consumption alone (i.e. excluding liquid fuel use for vehicles), the proportion is far higher – often representing as much as 25% of the entire municipality’s electricity bill.”

Since this contributes hugely to the municipal bill, this means it has the greatest potential to be the starting point of electricity-saving measures. By engaging in energy-efficiency measures within the water and wastewater infrastructure cycle, municipalities also improve their fiscal efficiency.

“We have found that the aeration stage is one of the stages that consumes a lot of energy – as it requires large pump systems – and municipalities may not always pay attention to this aspect. They may neglect to overhaul these due to the expensive nature of more energy-efficient systems. However, what is important to remember is that although the initial expense may be high, the benefits of cost saving in the long run will be worth it,” explains Hugo du Plessis, senior project engineer, KSB Pumps and Valves.

He notes that the most energy-hungry aspects within the water services system relate to the water treatment and pumping stages.

Du Plessis reiterates the importance of how the implementation of energy-efficient systems will not only help municipalities obtain, retain and improve their Green Drop and Blue Drop certification but will also eventually allow customers to see the difference in their rates and taxes bill.

“Inefficient pump systems will not be able to keep up with the ‘backlog’ of water when load-shedding occurs. KSB Pumps and Valves is willing to assist with site energy efficiency audits, as we are a provider of complete solutions. We have the expertise and experience to assist municipalities to make the transition to more energy-efficient systems.

“Reliable, energy-efficient pump systems will not only result in energy and cost savings, but there are also other benefits for the municipality, which include: no spillages, optimum uptime, decline in downtime, as well as better water quality,” Du Plessis concludes.

With no end in sight for South Africa’s power struggles, it’s important for municipalities to start engaging in energy-efficiency mechanisms in their water and wastewater infrastructure.