I recently had the pleasure of sitting next to EPA Deputy Regional Administrator, Ira Leighton, on a flight from Washington to Boston. We had a great discussion of the emerging technologies the EPA is using to create green, sustainable infrastructure.
You'll find an overview of their energy management techniques online, highlighting numerous regional efforts.
Massachusetts leads the way in many demonstration projects, creating zero energy waste water treatment plants. What does that mean?
Using specialized energy efficient pumps and values, photovoltaic solar energy sources, and wind power, these treatment plants are completely energy and carbon neutral.
If plants which treat wastewater via anaerobic digestion captured the Biogas released (mostly methane), an additional 340 megawatts of power could be generated.
Carbon neutral, energy neutral, water treatment that could even become an energy source via Biogas production. That's cool!