AUSTIN (KXAN) — A gentle roar pierces the ears of anyone who sets foot with the University of Texas’ Weaver Powerplant. The historic building situated just east of the campus’ historic tower provides power to the entirety of the school’s campus. It is the largest microgrid in the nation.
The building for the most part is automated. Temperatures beyond the observation deck soar to a crippling degree. Xavier Rivera Marzán, director of Utilities and Energy at the University of Texas, warns that the temperature is deceptive.
A gas power turbine spins in one corner of the room. Steam produced here travels to another gas-powered turbine in another. All in all, six turbines are available to power the campus.
And they need to stay cool.
“This specific unit,” Rivera Marzán says while pointing toward the turbine. “If we have 115 degree days, like we do here in Texas, it will generally be able to produce 39 megawatts instead of the rated 45(mw).”
Outside, cooling towers help reduce temperatures inside. The cooler the air, the more power can be produced. Water is needed to do this.
“Currently, 80% of our water (we use is) domestic water, for human consumption, for potable uses and for process. We also have 13% of our water as reclaimed water, and 7% of water as also reclaimed from (condensation),” Rivera Marzán said.
The campus hopes to reduce the amount of domestic water they use, water that would typically come from Austin Water and the city’s drinking water. They’re doing this with a new living lab, the UT Water Hub.
Recycling water and staying cool
The UT Water Hub, designed alongside H2O Innovations, will divert the campus’ wastewater and treat it by running it through plants and various machines. The treated water will then be used in the cooling towers, helping ensure power stays on at UT.
According to Rivera Marzán, the system will reduce the amount of domestic water used by one million gallons, cutting the current amount used nearly in half. It will also, because of the redirection of wastewater, reduce the amount of wastewater passed downstream from UT by 70%.
“We have hundreds of buildings here on campus. All that sewer goes into one main line. What we do is we recover that sewage that would have gone to the wastewater treatment plant downstream,” Rivera Marzán said.
Beyond helping with power needs, the UT Water Hub will also serve as a living lab. Students and researchers will be able to study wastewater treatment and sustainability.
“Students can see how that affects policy making, right, where students can see how a project is developed and it’s made, and use that as a real case study for their own curriculum,” Rivera Marzán said.
The hub has been a six-year project by the university. It is scheduled to be completed in April of 2027.
Extreme weather and keeping the lights on
Losing power at the University of Texas would be costly. Hundreds of research projects happen at the university every day and losing power could cripple many of these.
Without water, due to drought or even an ice storm like in 2021, power could be lost. “these weather events that are more frequent than they used to be. They used to be 50 year incidents. Now they’re very frequent,” Rivera Marzán said.
For Rivera Marzán, getting the hub in place soon is essential to the future of the campus.
“Our competition is not another university here going after the same water. Our competition is other campuses, like Tesla, like Samsung, like Apple, that they have the same energy needs, right? And same need for water.”
