Sensors make us know our water
The WIN Innovation Platform arranged through the WIN Water network a meeting on sensors and water with water companies, users and innovation companies to discuss the benefits of sensors in water management. Sensors have become an increasingly central component of today's water systems and it is becoming increasingly common for them to deliver data in near real time. By continuously measuring water quality and flow rates, sensors can help detect and prevent potential challenges before they become major problems. This allows for a more proactive management of water resources, which can lead to reduced water consumption and reduced losses. At the meeting, everything from water utilities to startups presented themselves — here is a brief summary of the presenters.
NSVA (North West Skånes Water & Sewer) is a municipally owned company in northwestern Skåne which provides about 275,000 residents with clean water but also takes care of sewage and storm water. Ingemar Clementson talked about how sensors and sensor data can help them meet some of the challenges faced by a water operator. One is to monitor, with the same budget and the same number of employees, an aging and large system affected by both floods and leaks, while increasing the amount of data significantly. The company has sensors in all parts of the system and is also testing new solutions. Then it is important that the sensors are of good quality, can be produced on a large scale, that they work for a long time and that the price is not too high.
How to get your old analog meter to become smart? This question was answered by Anders Carlberg from the innovation company Waltero on. Waltero is working on a sensor that will be installed on the existing meters, which will allow users to digitize analog measurements, both for water and also for electricity, gas and fuels, for example. This is complemented by a cloud service where data is collected and where it is possible to analyze and detect trends. The Company expects to begin production in September 2023.
Many people know that in Sweden, on average, we use about 140 liters of water per person per day. This can be ascertained by measuring how much water is supplied through the main tap in a dwelling. But most of the time, we don't know how much of the water is used for personal hygiene, how much the dishwasher draws, and how much water is used to keep clothes clean. In order for us to understand water consumption patterns and create new user behaviors SOOFWR (presented by Mikael Forsell and Oscar Brost) created a product with a sensor linked to AI. In this, a sound sensor collects data on water currents that are then analyzed. The company is currently working on a prototype for water metering.
Markus Fröjd from Sweden Water Research talked about how they work with user aspects of sensors that measure water quality. Sweden Water Research is a joint research and development company of NSVA, Sydvatten and VA Syd. They have a test bed through Källby Water Workshop, where innovations in the field of water quality monitoring are tested. Their work includes, among other things, understanding new technology, seeing what the new technology means, what new results it produces and how it fits into existing systems.
A challenge for water distributors is to continuously monitor drinking water quality from the waterworks through to the tap and Sense2bits markets a system of sensors that can monitor quality.
One of the winners of the Venture cup entrepreneurship competition Water Challenge 2023 was Valys. The company has an idea that deals with how to make measurements of organic pollutants with sensors. The idea is based on fluorescence spectroscopic technology and measures dissolved organic matter in water. The solution with sensors is intended to be applied in water and treatment plants to optimize parts of the treatment processes. The company is in the early stages but hopes to have a first prototype ready soon. The presentation was made by Kathleen Murphy.
During the meeting, there was also a call for a desired solution. Lynn Ranåker on MSB talked about the Emergency Service's need to know if the extinguishing water after a firefighting effort is contaminated. The water that flows from a fire area can contain heavy metals and dioxins, for example, and so she called for water experts' help with sensors that can assess the quality of the water so that emergency services know whether the water is clean enough to be discharged or if it needs to be purified -- and if so, in what way.
To increase the chances of future collaborations, WIN also divided the participants into mingling groups.
- There was great interest in the meeting and it reflects well the questions and curiosity that the development of sensors brings in the water industry, says Ola Hansson at WIN. As we increasingly focus on getting faster responses and better control, sensors and associated tools will play a crucial role for customers and developing companies alike. WIN's meetings aim to give needs-owners and innovators the opportunity for business creation and mutual exchange. The engagement in the meeting and during the various “focus group discussions” shows what important business we are doing.
The WIN Innovation Platform consists of the WIN Guard, WIN Water and WIN Energy networks and is now also exploring the possibility of expanding with WIN Food. WIN's platform has 229 active members and 175 innovation companies in 15 countries.
