After more than 30 years in the utilities sector, UK Water Industry Research (UKWIR) CEO Steve Kaye reflects on the optimum conditions for innovation and the importance of shifting mindsets from new to renew.
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Professor Naomi Brookes of the University of Warwick offers insight into new research emphasising the need for a widespread data literacy and digital drive across the utility sector.
Comment
Utility Week Innovate explores the best-in-class concepts from Northumbrian’s first hybrid innovation festival – from smart ways to maximise asset life span to dynamic sewer flood risk modelling.
Analysis
Many pumping applications used throughout the water and wastewater industry are not yet benefitting from the use of variable speed drives (VSDs). One such application is drainage pumps, used in low level areas such as South Yorkshire and the Fens, which transfer water from dykes into rivers. The benefits go far beyond energy savings, as Blaise Ford of ABB value provider, IDS explains.
Analysis
Editor’s picks
Utility Week Innovate and industry experts from the likes of Thames, Northumbrian and Yorkshire Water dived into challenges posed by managing tens of million data points across vast networks with ever-changing technology as industry-wide CSO targets loom.
Analysis
Utility Week Innovate WWT’s upcoming Water Industry Innovation Conference seeks to foster collaborative problem solving, learning and proactive thinking in the face of global challenges.
Market insight
Thames Water’s head of data science Jethro Yates caught up with Utility Week Innovate off the back of wins at the UK IT Industry Awards for both data science and digital transformation projects of the year.
Interviews
Anglian Water is ahead of industry peers in seeking to tackle the tricky area of capital carbon. Setting up robust carbon models and integrating these into asset intervention decision making as well as design processes has been key to progress as attendees at a recent UW Innovate webinar learned.
Analysis
Case study insights into Anglian Water’s digitalisation of capital carbon tracking will be followed by panel discussion of the need to add digital rigour into organisational responses to climate change.
Webinars
Anglian has begun a leakage detection trial on a live network to find and measure defects within its pipes. The trial is a UK-first for the novel detection system that uses sensors to measure variations in electricity passing through a non-metallic pipe wall.
News
A recent Utility Week Innovate webinar explored the experiences of two utilities trialling open banking to help address mounting challenges around affordability and debt. Here we explore key lessons and talking points.
Analysis
Jo Ecroyd, customer service director at South West Water, explains why utility businesses have a responsibility to support local causes and how emerging tech can aid this process.
Comment
The Utility Week Awards are returning to London’s Grosvenor Hotel this December. See a full list of categories and find out how to enter here.
Market insight
Case study insights into Anglian Water’s digitalisation of capital carbon tracking will be followed by panel discussion of the need to add digital rigour into organisational responses to climate change.
Webinars
The Utility Week Awards are returning to London’s Grosvenor Hotel this December. See a full list of categories and find out how to enter here.
Market insight
Over three quarters of senior utilities leaders have concerns that a lack of robust data about the sustainability of internal and supply chain operations will hamper delivery of net zero transition goals, according to new research conducted by Utility Week.
News
Severn Trent has teamed up with CPL Industries to create low carbon heating fuel from a waste by-product in the processing of food waste.
News
Water companies from across the UK as well as supply partners, NGOs and academic groups have been awarded funding for 11 projects from the Ofwat Innovation Fund to tackle shared problems faced by the sector. See the full list as well as the thoughts of Ofwat's John Russell.
News
Thames Water and Kingston Council are embarking on a project to capture heat from effluent at a wastewater treatment site and supply it to new housing estate via a district heating network. The network will eventually be expanded to serve public and commercial buildings in Kingston town centre.
News
The challenge of scaling up the smart meter roll-out is shared across gas, water and electricity companies. As the panel debate and workshop at the Utility Week Live Summit discussed, smart meters prepare consumers for the changes to come on the net zero journey. But is there are also a case for using the energy sector's new dual band communications network for smart water meters too? Read on to hear more about delegates' views.
Analysis
As part of a new, Ofwat-funded, water neutrality scheme, Affinity Water and a raft of project partners are floating both product and community-based innovations across three new residential developments.
Analysis
Utility Week Innovate caught up with Northumbrian Water’s head of innovation for a quickfire Q&A covering water sector creativity, collaboration and not believing the hype on day one of the firm’s 2021 Innovation Festival.
Interviews
Anglian Water is ahead of industry peers in seeking to tackle the tricky area of capital carbon. Setting up robust carbon models and integrating these into asset intervention decision making as well as design processes has been key to progress as attendees at a recent UW Innovate webinar learned.
Analysis
A major collaborative project led by Thames Water is striving to slash energy consumption in wastewater treatment through the pioneering application of cold anaerobic processes.
Analysis
Ruth Williams talks to sector leaders about the water’s industry’s progress towards its self-set target of being net zero by 2030 – and especially what can be done about process emissions.
Analysis
Northumbrian Water will combine the advantages of digital and face-to-face platforms for inspiration and problem solving at its fifth Festival of Innovation. The company’s CIO Nigel Watson tells UW Innovate how the mix will allow the company to build on the impressive legacy of its first four events.
Interviews
Northumbrian Water will combine the advantages of digital and face-to-face platforms for inspiration and problem solving at its fifth Festival of Innovation. The company’s CIO Nigel Watson tells UW Innovate how the mix will allow the company to build on the impressive legacy of its first four events.
Interviews
UW Innovate speaks with network leaders from United Utilities to shed light on the water company’s breakthroughs in the use of artificial intelligence to proactively monitor and maintain its 78,000km wastewater network.
Interviews
Ben Aston, biodiversity specialist at Yorkshire Water, sheds light on the firm's joint investment in pollinator superhighways and their impact on managing its water catchments.
Analysis