TL/08

Energy efficiency in pressurized water networks

The water and energy nexus was identified in 1994 by Peter Gleick. Until then, water was above all an energy source. Today, it has been shown that the sustainable management of water requires a great deal of energy. A great consumption that was overlooked in the past due to the fact that it was millions of users creating this consumption. The energy consumption linked to water is as high as 19% in California, and pressurized water networks significantly contribute to that figure (5% in Spain).

Person responsible for this line: Enrique Cabrera Marcet

ITA works on developing a robust and efficient procedure that allows to optimize the energy consumption in pressurized water transport. The first stage in this process is to perform a diagnosis of the system, since learning about a problem is always the first step in its resolution. Next, and since energy loss is due to a variety of factors (inadequate system design, leakage, pumping inefficiencies, excess of friction losses, etc.) two audits (energy, and hidraulic) need to be carried out to identify the main inefficiencies. The analysis of the actions to be adopted constitutes the third stage. The process concludes with a cost-benefit analysis to determine the adequacy of the solutions.