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A wastewater district recognized that it needed backup power in the event of an emergency or prolonged outage, but there were too many options, and too many vendors selling their solutions, so the district hired UCM to provide objective advice on the best way for the district to achieve its goals at the lowest possible cost.

 

UCM analyzed the district’s critical operations, modeled 15-minute electricity consumption data for these essential uses, and reviewed applicable utility company tariffs to determine the optimal size of the proposed system.  This approach resulted in UCM recommending a battery storage system much smaller than vendors suggested, in large part because UCM discovered that preferential utility treatment of the system required that it meet just 15% of the district’s total load.  UCM’s analysis also identified the optimal way for the district to charge and discharge the battery to ensure power was available during emergencies, while also reducing demand charges during everyday use.  With UCM’s help, the district eventually adopted a cost-effective hybrid approach, relying on battery storage for instantaneous power during the first few hours of an outage, while having a backup generator available for longer periods.