A POET Based Energy Audit Methodology for WWTPs

The paper mainly focuses on the energy audit method and procedure for wastewater treatment processes, with the purpose to obtain energy saving opportunities and put forward saving proposals. In the existing energy audit guidelines, the terminologies and processes are somehow dissimilar and sometimes overlapped. In this paper, energy audit matrices, based on the POET (performance, operation, equipment, and technology) energy management framework, is proposed, where the methods and tools are standardized through grid analysis. Furthermore, the energy audit matrices are applied to a practical wastewater treatment plant. The energy consumption characteristic of the plant is formed; and the corresponding energy saving proposals are consequently put forward. The case study shows that the POET based energy audit methodology is standardized and suitable for field applications of wastewater treatment processes.