Harry Laing for European Biosolids & Bioresources Conference - Meet the Speakers

Speaker: Harry Laing, Energy Data and Optimisation Lead, Northumbrian Water Ltd

Harry Laing: Hi. I'm Harry Laing. I'm Energy Data and Optimisation Leader Northumbrian Water, responsible for managing our energy data portfolio and looking for optimisation opportunities through analysis and trending of that data.

Harry Laing: So over the last six or seven years, I've been working with Newcastle University and Northumbrian Water through various different projects as a PhD project and a KTP project as well. focusing on optimisation opportunities at some of the large scale wastewater treatment works that Northumbrian Water have in particular the Howden and Bran Sands sites. And we came up with some optimisation models looking at the gas plant that these sites have in terms of how is the, how best to use the renewable gas that we create on site? So what I'll be presenting is something we've called ops mod or operations modelling, which is the culmination of the whole system. Various different user interfaces, optimisation models, day ahead, prediction models, how they all fit together, different scenarios that we can run in those models, and that will help infer or advise plant operators the best way of operating their sites on a day ahead basis. So that's what I'll be talking about at the conference

Harry Laing: So the Howden and the Bran Sands sites that we've been modelling are particularly unique. A lot of wastewater treatment works that create biogas as a resource tend to just have one or two options for that gas, typically burning in, CHP combined heat and power gas engines. As an example, the two sites in the water are particularly unique in that they have different, different modes of using that gas. They can do gas to grid. They can use it for the steam a generation in boilers for the thermal hydrolysis plants, or they can use in the CHP engines as well. And that adds a layer of complexity. So one of the key things I'd like people to understand about the system we've developed is how quick and easy it is to set up a mimic of your plant within the ops mod system. But then also how quickly you get the results from the various scenarios of the different operating strategies and what's the best way of running your site? The other part, that's really interesting, I think is we've managed to combine it with really new and upcoming legislation around carbon emissions. and the Monetary association around that. We know there's different changes coming in the future around that topic, particularly in the water sector. So what we can do is layer that in as another sort of cost and something to consider. So depending on what energy you buy, what you sell, what you generate, there are different emissions factors that are, you know, that we use the regulatory factors in the model, so we can now combine a mixture of carbon emissions and just process operations to look at minimising costs and minimising carbon. So this system that we developed is also helping the business drive towards net zero in a way that we just weren't able to do before. It's a really unique space, and I'm really excited to share some of the key outcomes with you all.

Harry Laing: I've been to the conference a few times now and the thing I most look forward to is meeting new people and networking with you all. There is some fascinating and really unique and new technologies and innovations coming out of the conference every single year. It seems to get bigger and bigger. and I'm just really excited to meet you all again, and potentially meet new people and new partnerships. Uh, the last few times we've been there's been some fantastic ideas spun out and, you know new partnerships and agreements coming out from this particular conference. I'm just excited to see where we can take it again. I'm just looking forward to meeting you all!