QUANTALUX, LLC — Department of Agriculture SBIR Phase I: 8.6

Description

Many large wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) produce electricity for self-consumption usingbiogas-powered generators. However most smaller WWTPs in rural areas do not have this optiondue to the cost and complexity of designing and operatingon-site power production equipment.The HPS uses an innovative combination of power generation from biogas and energy storage(biogas/batteries) to maximize the value of the available on-site energy. During off-peak timesenergy is stored from the least-expensive source and then released during the times-of-day whenenergy is most expensive. Preliminary evaluations of electrical load data from rural wastewaterplants in Michigan (including Linden Coldwater and Flint) shows that electrical load profiles peakconsistently during mid-day.A modular HPS skid will be developed to supply on-site powerduring peak periods decreasing utility charges and increasing the plant's environmentalsustainability.The proposed Phase I SBIR will evaluate how to deploy a combination of biogas storage andbattery storage so that smaller WWTPs can cost-effectively offset expensive electricity purchasesduring peak demand periods. Preliminary assessments and designs will identify the optimumconfiguration for the Hybrid Power Skid (HPS). Environmental benefits to rural areas will also bedetermined.The Phase II portion of the project will deploy a pilot-scale Hybrid Power Skid (HPS) at theWWTP in Flint Michigan. Pilot-scale operation in a real-world environment will allow Quantaluxstaff to optimize the system design and document its performance.Phase II operational data iscritical for successful outreach to potential customers and funding groups.