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    Job for Microgrids: Utility Grid Outage at Houston Water Pump Station leads to Boil Order

    Nov. 30, 2022
    A power outage was blamed for the threat. It brings up the issue of mission critical operations and grid resiliency. Many public works entities are now considering microgrids
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     A temporary boil order was issued in Houston after one of the city’s water systems suffered transformer outages that caused pressure to drop below acceptable levels.

    The boil order was issued this past weekend and rescinded on Monday. The Houston Public Works Authority didn’t see problems with the water, but was required to send out a boil order when pressure dropped to 20 PSI or below.

    A power outage was blamed for the threat. It brings up the issue of mission critical operations and grid resiliency. Many public works entities are now considering microgrids and other on-site power options to strengthen backup when storms threaten grid power.

    In April, the nearby West Harris County Regional Water Authority selected Texas-based microgrid provider Enchanted Rock Solutions to deliver backup gas-fired power systems for water pump stations which serve the WHCRWA’s 127 water districts.

    The stations also provide water to the North Ford Bend Water Authority.  Overall, Enchanted Rock was selected to provide nearly 20 MW of natural gas microgrid support.

    Register for our free Jan. 11 webinar on RNG and Energy Resiliency featuring Enchanted Rock and EPRI

    The systems produce more than 300 million gallons of treated water in the county every day, according to reports.

    The release about the agreement noted that the natural gas-powered system will be multiple times cleaner emissions-wise than alternatives powered by diesel generators. The company also will operate and maintain the microgrids under a long-term agreement.

    Enchanted Rock is focused on providing both conventional and renewable natural gas backup power systems for entities that include municipalities, retirement centers, data centers and other mission-critical services.

    On Jan. 11, EnergyTech will host a webinar, sponsored by Enchanted Rock, on “Balancing Reliability, Sustainability and Cost: The Role of RNG in Energy Resiliency.” The webinar is free and will be available live and on demand.

    Presenters for the webinar include speakers from the Electric Power Research Institute and Enchanted Rock.

    About the Author

    Rod Walton, EnergyTech Managing Editor | Senior Editor

    For EnergyTech editorial inquiries, please contact Managing Editor Rod Walton at [email protected].

    Rod Walton has spent 15 years covering the energy industry as a newspaper and trade journalist. He formerly was energy writer and business editor at the Tulsa World. Later, he spent six years covering the electricity power sector for Pennwell and Clarion Events. He joined Endeavor and EnergyTech in November 2021.

    Walton earned his Bachelors degree in journalism from the University of Oklahoma. His career stops include the Moore American, Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise, Wagoner Tribune and Tulsa World. 

    EnergyTech is focused on the mission critical and large-scale energy users and their sustainability and resiliency goals. These include the commercial and industrial sectors, as well as the military, universities, data centers and microgrids. The C&I sectors together account for close to 30 percent of greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S.

    He was named Managing Editor for Microgrid Knowledge and EnergyTech starting July 1, 2023

    Many large-scale energy users such as Fortune 500 companies, and mission-critical users such as military bases, universities, healthcare facilities, public safety and data centers, shifting their energy priorities to reach net-zero carbon goals within the coming decades. These include plans for renewable energy power purchase agreements, but also on-site resiliency projects such as microgrids, combined heat and power, rooftop solar, energy storage, digitalization and building efficiency upgrades.

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