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As I read report after report about the daunting waterinfrastructure and scarcity challenges we all face, I am heartenedby the promise of technological innovation. Everywhere I look inthe water world, I see talented, dedicated people developing smart,new solutions to some of our most intractable problems. Some of thesolutions involve creating more energy efficient treatmenttechnologies, while others find better ways to collect data andharness it for more efficient operations. For example, I recently attended a Water Environment Council (WEC)dinner in Washington, D.C., awarding IBM the 2012 Gold Medal foradvancing environmental sustainability both internally and withcustomers. As I listened to IBM s Chairman Sam Palmisano sremarks in accepting the award, I heard quite a bit about how IBMis helping cities deal more efficiently with water challenges. What Companies Are Making the Biggest Splash? Along with GE, Intel, American Water and many other organizations,IBM is a member of the Water Innovations Alliance (WIA). WIA is anindustry association focused on developing new funding, increasingcollaboration and raising awareness for cutting-edge watertechnologies. WIA looks to promote efficient water use and reduce water-relatedenergy consumption through the development and implementation ofsmart water systems, similar to those that have been used forelectricity distribution. A smart water system would replace thecurrent system with an innovative technology suite, includingsensing and monitoring, information exchange and data analytics.Smart systems allow for seamless, two-way communication ofinformation between the utility and various sensors. They offermore frequent, detailed information on water usage, pressure,quality and leaks which allows utilities to better monitor data,promote conservation and water efficiency, and quickly identify andaddress problems. According to the WIA, a smart water system would also have enormousimpact on the economy, creating more than $100 billion in capitalsavings and lowering operating costs on average by a third. Theaverage community of 55,000 residents could reduce operating costsby 15 percent, reduce water loss by more than 25 percent (savingalmost 80,000 gallons or 250 acre feet of water), and realizeenergy savings of almost 20 percent or 325,000 kilowatt hours. Why Research Matters But not all work is taking place at the industry or foundationlevel. Governments and universities are playing a major role, too.On the federal government level, I just returned from visitingSandia National Labs in Albuquerque, NM, and I was surprised andthrilled to learn they are working on a wide variety of cuttingedge new water initiatives. In addition, the US Bureau ofReclamation is working on a number of innovative new approaches towater treatment, as are many large municipal organizations like theMetropolitan Water District of Southern California, the SouthernNevada Water Authority and the New York City Department ofEnvironmental Protection. At the University level, David Zoldoske, Director of the International Center for Water Technology at Fresno State, is working on a number of promising newagricultural water technologies. One new piece of equipment istheir air-jection system that injects air into buried driplines at a rate of approximately 10-11 percent on a volume basisvia a venture injector system. The process has documented increasedyields of 10 to 30 percent, primarily in vegetables. The yieldincrease is driven by an improved air/water mix in the root-zonedirectly beneath the drip emitter. There is a small increase inpressure requirements for injecting air into the system. But even more than conducting research, universities are alsoincubating promising new water technology companies. For example,students at the University of Virginia s Center forEntrepreneurial Leadership at the Darden School of Business areincubating two new water ventures. One example is Apollo Waterwhich is developing a low-cost, easy-to-use water purification anddesalinization system for use primarily in the developing world. The Future of Water Innovation Going forward, the relatively new Cincinnati-based water technologyinnovation cluster, known as Confluence , offers an interesting model for future innovation. Confluence isfocused on creating a water technology hub, and it has a number ofelements that position it for success: A diverse board, including representatives from industry, academia,public utilities, etc. Federal (United States Environmental Protection Agency) and stateagency support and input A business advisory council to communicate the water challenges tobring forth targeted innovation An annual water conference which brings together a diverse group of stakeholders, keynotesand panel discussions providing valuable insights on the regulatoryenvironment, market demand and emerging technologies Overall, we need a community of government, industry, academia andother stakeholders all working together to develop and implement new technologies. At the end of the day, it is essential newtechnologies meet regulatory requirements and minimize energy usageso they can be deployed in a cost-effective, environmentallyfriendly way. In other words, it is critically important to be ableto commercialize new technologies. That means we need bothfundamental research, but also demonstration projects withindustrial, agricultural and municipal users. Jon Freedman is global government relations leader at GE Power& Water. I am an expert from securitycctv-cameras.com, while we provides the quality product, such as China IR Illuminators , China Flying Saucer Camera, VandalProof Camera,and more.
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