Webinar: The Energy-Water nexus: Demand response and biogas production from wastewater treatment plants on the Irish integrated energy system

At this ESRI/UCD webinar, Dr Dana Kirchem will present the findings from her research paper titled ‘The Energy-Water nexus: Demand response and biogas production from wastewater treatment plants on the Irish integrated energy system’.

A better understanding of the potentials, benefits and challenges for wastewater treatment plants to provide demand response and biogas is crucial for finding the most efficient ways to harness energy demand and supply flexibility from wastewater treatment plants.  

This study aims to identify the effects of energy demand and supply flexibility of wastewater treatment plants on power system operation, wastewater treatment operators and electricity consumers. It also asks how the usage of biogas for energy recovery affects the potential for demand flexibility. The results aim to inform policy makers and wastewater treatment plant operators about opportunities to harness readily available flexibility potential.

Bio: Dana Kirchem holds a position as a research associate at the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW Berlin). Her dissertation at the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) Dublin and the University College Dublin dealt with the modelling of energy demand flexibility in integrated energy-water systems. Prior to her PhD, Dana studied Economics at the University of Muenster and the Universidad de Guadalajara. Her research interests include the role of industry in the energy transition and different aspects of sector coupling.