Case Study: Resilient Uninterrupted Battery Power to Wastewater Operations Caused by Grid Disruption

By Power Saving Solutions

Maintaining uninterrupted power is critical across water and wastewater infrastructure, where even short grid disturbances can disrupt operations and increase the risk of costly operational incidents.

At a number of pumping stations and wastewater facilities, our client (name removed for anonymity) was experiencing challenges caused by weak grid connections. Voltage fluctuations and outages could cause variable frequency drives (VFDs) to trip, interrupting essential equipment and leaving sites vulnerable to environmental issues and regulatory fines during periods of grid instability.

While diesel generators provided standby power, the time required for a generator to start and assume the load created a critical gap in power continuity.

Power Saving Solutions (PSS) deployed its Hussh Pod 150/150battery energy storage system (150kWh of useable storage and 150kW inverter output), specifically configured to operate in a pseudo-UPS arrangement.

During a grid disturbance or outage, the Hussh Pod provides near-instantaneous (<20ms) backup power, protecting sensitive equipment and maintaining essential operations while the generator starts and becomes available. Its high-capacity battery storage can also provide extended backup power, adding another layer of resilience during prolonged power loss.

For the client, the result was a more resilient power architecture that reduced vulnerability to grid instability, protected critical infrastructure and helped maintain continuous wastewater operations.

The application demonstrates how intelligently integrated battery energy storage can provide more than an alternative to diesel generation. By working alongside the grid and existing standby generators, battery systems can strengthen power continuity at critical sites and help water companies and their delivery partners build greater operational resilience.

As the water industry delivers increasingly ambitious infrastructure programmes through AMP8, solutions that strengthen security of supply and reduce the operational consequences of power disruption will have an important role to play.

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