Dan Iversen
Vice President, Strategy and Marketing – Europe, Xylem inc.
Smart water technology is poised to lead the world out of a water crisis by transforming the economics of water utility operations.
14 billion dollars will be invested in smart water management between now and 2024, in a bid to improve utility operations and mitigate unnecessary water losses, according to the team at Xylem.
“Utilities are already starting to adopt these smart technologies, driven by the need to mitigate water scarcity, improve operations, and efficiently meet EU regulations,” says Dan Iversen, Xylem Vice President.
“We need to make sure there is consistent access to water, yet most of the water and wastewater infrastructure in Europe is leaking, bursting, or overdesigned.”
What makes water smart?
The answer lies in connecting the dots between intelligent equipment, such as pumps and meters, smart networks, which collect information from throughout the system, and digital solutions, which utilise algorithms for proactive system management.
1. Intelligent equipment
2. Smart networks
3. Digital solutions
“We can use these three elements to find out exactly what is happening in a system.
That data will help us to make the right decisions and ensure resources are well invested,” Iversen explained.
Research shows that the industry is waking up to the possibilities, including recent projects, such as one with Thames Water.
Smart infrastructure solves managers’ daily challenges
“Water and wastewater managers honestly have a really tough job. They are faced daily with a wide range of challenges – reducing leakage, managing emergencies, meeting stricter regulations – and all of these must be solved with limited resources,” said Iversen.
Leading water utilities are adopting these technologies, which are delivering impact in their operations and enabling stronger customer engagement. One of these utilities is Thames Water, as cited in Xylem’s recent whitepaper The Smarter Water Manager.
The bigger risk, is not doing anything at all.
Thames Water is the largest water and wastewater utility in the UK, serving 15 million customers across London and the Thames Valley. To address water loss and identify supply issues, such as non-revenue water, a solution of smart meters and daily reporting was implemented. As a result, customer engagement increased leading to a decrease in water consumption by an estimated 13%, and water leaks were located and remedied quickly.
Xylem is supporting similar projects with utilities around the globe. For the global water sector, over 260 smart water projects were announced in 2017 and nearly 180 smart water projects have been announced as of July 2018.
“It’s exciting to be with a company that is taking the lead in partnering with customers to prove the measurable value these new technologies provide and demonstrating that they do not pose a risk, – in fact the bigger risk is not doing anything at all.”
To download the The Smarter Water Manager white paper, visit xyleminc.com.
