Flex Your Power Case Study: Patterson Irrigation District

Given California's energy challenges and electricity supply shortage in 2001, Patterson Irrigation District (PID) reinforced and sharpened its focus on reducing energy consumption in 2001. Where Gov. Davis asked all California sectors to reduce electricity use immediately by at least 10 percent and 20 percent during the summer months, PID reiterated its commitment to reduce energy consumption by at least 8 percent and by 20 percent during Stage Two alerts. The district took actions such as installing control devices and variable frequency drives (VFDs) and participating in a public outreach effort.

The goal of this project was to reduce electricity usage by 10-20 percent.

PID succeeded in increasing energy efficiency by 40 percent and reducing energy consumption by 10 to 20 percent during the critical summer months while still meeting its irrigation water obligations to the family farms it serves.
-Estimated/anticipated energy and financial savings of Power Monitoring SCADA system: A conservative estimate, 17 percent increase in efficiency reducing annual demand by 1,444 kW and annual energy consumption by 650,000 kWh, saving the district approximately $23,000 annually based on 1998 - 2000 pumping and electrical data.
-Based on projected results from the first couple months of 2002, the new VFDs decreased energy usage by approximately 45,000 kWh per month and electrical
demand by 12.5 kW per day. The VFDs were initially purchased for use in pumping plant automation, but they also resulted in significant energy savings by almost eliminating recirculation and the load reduction characteristics of VFDs on motors.