To make drinking water for the people of Drenthe, in addition of course to a good and reliable source, energy is also needed. It is often not even known that energy which is used to produce and transport water has the greatest impact on the environment caused by a waterworks in the Netherlands.

Green electricity
A company such as the WMD uses approximately 0.4 kWh per m3 of water produced. For a whole year that amounts to more than 12 million kWh (approx. 43 million MJ). Calculated as environmental pollution an emission of 6,000,000 kg CO2, 19,200 kg  SO2 and 28,800 kg NOx per year. That looks quite a lot. Now, by the use of green energy this pollution can be cancelled out. Green energy is energy which is made in an environmentally friendly manner, without the use of finite fossil fuels.

Solar power station
In 1998 the WMD opted for the integral use of green electricity for the entire company. This reduces the environmental impact of the production of drinking water for the consumer in Drenthe in general by a factor 20. In addition to this, in co-operation with Essent [an energy company], a solar power station was built on the clean-water storages which produces 10% of the electricity required by the treatment plant. In this way the treatment plant complies with the government assumption that everywhere 10% of the energy used should be generated as green.
For the power station 2208 PV panels were installed with a surface area of 1800 m2.
Per m2 this delivers power of 100 watt. The power station can supply 150,000 kWh (= 540,000 MJ), sufficient for 60 households.