Over the next fifteen years the Water Resources Group has predicted that we will require 40 per cent more water than is currently accessible to satisfy global demand. There seems little doubt that this demand will be met, but there is now more visible evidence than ever that we should not be complacent about delivering on this. As California looks set to experience a fourth consecutive year of drought and Sao Paulo, Brazil continues to experience its worse drought in over 80 years there are certainly some worrying signs.
Across much of Europe water scarcity can seem a more distant threat, but adverse weather conditions and ever growing urban populations are putting huge pressure on this resource and in Southern Europe, including Spain, effectively coping with drought is something we have always had to do.
As well as pioneering and effectively utilising innovative technologies across the full water cycle to do this, we are also increasingly focussing on how demand can be met and better understood by improving engagement and interaction between service providers and consumers.
In a recent Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) report, sponsored by FCC Group the parent company of FCC Aqualia, respondents made their views clear on the flow of information between service providers and consumers. The global survey of over 400 business executives and policy-makers revealed that 72 per cent would change water consumption levels if given better information about usage levels. The message is clear, citizens are ready to act and utilities must harness this resource to better manage the rising demands.
Water meters in particular are seen as the critical technological innovation with the market reaching approximately US$1.1 billion by 2019. Recent figures from IHS Technology suggest that Europe is seeing the strongest growth in advanced metering infrastructure systems. Effectively utilised this brings with it an opportunity for utilities to become more transparent by showing customers exactly what they are paying for, and better understanding the information that will lead to behavioural change.
Indicating the potential impact of smart water meters on consumption, the EIU report references IBM’s Smarter Planet Program, which noted that consumers used an average of 6.6 per cent less water after smart water meters were installed in their homes. To take smart water meters to the stage beyond this, bringing about a two-way conversation between service provider and customer, it is critical that they are connected to smartphone devices. Improving the flow of information in this way will give rise to a powerful tool for water utilities to receive feedback on service levels and, crucially, act upon it.
FCC Aqualia’s R&D division has launched an ambitious pilot project called SmartWater with the local government of Santander, Spain that aims to address precisely this issue. Through the introduction of an app end users in the water supply are able to track their own consumption, receive alerts and notifications related to the service and report incidents.
Our efforts to improve information flows in projects across Europe, including in Czech Republic, Italy, Portugal and Spain have already yielded significant efficiency savings. If the Santander SmartWater app proves successful it is something that could be rolled out more widely to close the loop on the flow of information and further increase efficiency.
The water industry has often been seen in the past as one that is slow to innovate – perhaps particularly so when compared to the energy industry. Times are changing and water utilities need to change with them. Whether it is through smart water meters, smart phone apps, or even statistical models – FCC Aqualia has improved efficiency by increasing water demand prediction time from one month to 30 minutes in Spain – we all have to embrace innovation if we are to meet demand for 2030 and beyond. If we can do this, and also initiate widespread behavioural change in water use at the same time, then it will be a significant achievement.