The City of Rialto in California, Rialto Water Services and Veolia North America are working together to design and install a microgrid powered through a combination of biogas cogeneration, solar power and backup battery storage to supply electricity for the city’s wastewater treatment plant.
The project, one of the first of its kind in California, is aiming to bring the city greater energy independence, resilience and efficiency to protect its essential wastewater treatment system.
Rialto Mayor Deborah Robertson said: “As California and the rest of the country contend with a growing number of natural disasters linked to climate change – including widespread power outages and brownouts caused by heat waves and wildfires – the resilience offered by a microgrid power source is more important than ever.
“We recognize that the time has come to invest and think boldly and creatively in protecting our resources. This project represents a great step forward in the way municipalities like ours can take positive steps toward a more green future.”
Veolia North America President and CEO, Brian Clarke said the company is proud to bring its expertise and resources to support the city’s vision for greater energy independence and sustainability. Veolia operates and maintains the treatment plant on behalf of the city and its partner, Rialto Water Services.
Clarke said: “I commend everyone involved for their commitment to making this vision a reality for the people of Rialto and the community’s natural resources,” he said. “It’s this kind of forward thinking that is putting Rialto in a position to meet the challenges that we all see coming down the road in the years ahead, both environmentally and economically.”
Once the new microgrid is in place, the plant will be less vulnerable to power outages that could cause the plant to shut down and lead to potential wastewater spills into nearby waterways.
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