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energyPRO for Drinking Water Production
from Groundwater and Seawater
Optimize desalination and groundwater synergy
What if your drinking water plant could act like an energy market participant?
What if it could react to electricity prices, balance peak demand, and utilize multiple water sources — all within a single model? With energyPRO, this becomes a reality.
This use case demonstrates how energyPRO can optimize a combined desalination and groundwater-based water production facility, operating under fluctuating spot prices and real-world demand curves.
Design an adaptive and cost-effective drinking water plant
Drinking water production facts
Many traditional planning tools rely on fixed-price averages.
The water sector consumes nearly 4% of global electricity (IEA, 2022)
RO desalination energy consumption: ~2–10 kWh/m³
Electricity makes up to 60% of OPEX in desalination
Smart operation can reduce water costs by up to 20% in high-volatility grids
Sector coupling (e.g., reuse of process water) can dramatically reduce energy demand
Overview of the System Modeled
This use case examines a hybrid drinking water facility supplying 12.5 million m³/year, drawing from both groundwater and seawater. It compares three modeled scenarios in energyPRO:
1. Base Scenario – Spot Market Optimization
- Uses hourly 2024 spot prices (DK1)
- RO operation shifts to low-price hours
- Realistic household consumption pattern with peak demand mornings/evenings
2. Alternative Scenario – Fixed Price Reference
- Uses 2024 average electricity price
- Reflects traditional Excel-style economics with no time-based dispatch
3. Process Water Return Scenario
- Includes reuse of 1 million m³ industrial process water
- Reduces dependency on RO while maintaining quality through sand filtration
Simplifications
- No backflushing, chemical pretreatment, or pressure recovery is modeled.
- Focus is solely on electricity consumption, water source balance, and cost impact.
What’s modeled in energyPRO: Key system components
Scenario inputs and assumptions
Parameter
Value
Annual water demand
12.5 million m³
Peak demand hours
06:00–09:00 and 17:00–20:00
Groundwater availability
6.5 million m³/year (sand filtered)
RO capacity
Covers remaining demand
Industrial process water
1.0 million m³/year (sand filtered)
Electricity price (Base)
2024 hourly DK1 spot prices
Electricity price (Alt.)
2024 average spot price (DKK/MWh)
1
Demand Profile Redistribution
- Reflects hourly variation based on Danish consumption behavior
2
Groundwater Treatment (Sand Filter)
- Includes three separate groundwater sources, each with different distances and depths, resulting in varying operational costs. energyPRO dynamically selects the optimal source based on cost and demand conditions, enabling realistic dispatch planning.
3
Reverse Osmosis Desalination Unit
- Electricity-dependent, cost-optimized dispatch
- Dynamic operation in Base scenario
4
Process Water Return
- Minimal treatment required
- Offset for RO production in third scenario
How energyPRO improves your project
Feature
What it does
What it gives you
Dynamic tariff modeling
Aligns RO use with low-price periods
Reduced cost per m³
Load shifting
Avoids peak electricity prices
Improved operational efficiency
Scenario comparison
Highlights cost delta between static/dynamic ops
Data-backed investment decision-making
Modular system modeling
Easily add/remove sources (e.g., PV, reuse water)
Futureproofing
Time-resolved simulation
Matches true demand profile
Increases operational realism
Comparison of the three models
Metric
Spot-based model
Fixed Price Model
Process Water Scenario
Total Electricity Use (MWH)
13650 MWh
13657 MWh
11695 MWh
Total Production Cost
2.305.000
2.690.000
2.115.000
Share of RO in total supply m3
5.000.000
5.000.000
4.000.000
Load during peak price hours
Minimized
Unchanged
Reduced further
The modules you need
Key modules for Drinking Water Production in energyPRO
Learn. Apply. Succeed: Your energyPRO Training Hub
This use case is illustrative, not prescriptive. Proper dimensioning requires hydraulic and biological expertise. Still, it shows how engineers can use energyPRO to simulate dynamic, modular water-energy systems — a vital step toward smart, cost-effective infrastructure.
Dive into our comprehensive courses, webinars, and tutorials to master energyPRO’s powerful features.
