Department of Chemical Engineering, Institute of Technology, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, 15782 Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
Department of Chemical Engineering, Institute of Technology, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, 15782 Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
Water Res. 2018 Sep 15;141:317-328. doi: 10.1016/j.watres.2018.04.067. Epub 2018 May 10.
This article examines the potential benefits of using Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) for conducting energy-efficiency assessment of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). WWTPs are characteristically heterogeneous (in size, technology, climate, function …) which limits the correct application of DEA. This paper proposes and describes the Robust Energy Efficiency DEA (REED) in its various stages, a systematic state-of-the-art methodology aimed at including exogenous variables in nonparametric frontier models and especially designed for WWTP operation. In particular, the methodology systematizes the modelling process by presenting an integrated framework for selecting the correct variables and appropriate models, possibly tackling the effect of exogenous factors. As a result, the application of REED improves the quality of the efficiency estimates and hence the significance of benchmarking. For the reader's convenience, this article is presented as a step-by-step guideline to guide the user in the determination of WWTPs energy efficiency from beginning to end. The application and benefits of the developed methodology are demonstrated by a case study related to the comparison of the energy efficiency of a set of 399 WWTPs operating in different countries and under heterogeneous environmental conditions.
本文探讨了使用数据包络分析（DEA）对污水处理厂（WWTP）进行能效评估的潜在好处。WWTP 的特点是异质（规模、技术、气候、功能等），这限制了 DEA 的正确应用。本文提出并描述了稳健能源效率 DEA（REED）的各个阶段，这是一种系统的最新方法，旨在将外生变量纳入非参数前沿模型，并专门为 WWTP 运行设计。特别是，该方法通过提出一个用于选择正确变量和适当模型的综合框架，对建模过程进行了系统化，可能解决了外生因素的影响。结果，REED 的应用提高了效率估计的质量，从而提高了基准测试的意义。为了方便读者，本文以逐步指南的形式呈现，从开始到结束指导用户确定 WWTP 的能源效率。通过对在不同国家和异质环境条件下运行的 399 个 WWTP 的能源效率进行比较的案例研究，展示了所开发方法的应用和好处。
