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Continues on next page >> By Neil Strother
Evidence of this trend continues to mount. A few examples include:
· Australia’s Sydney Water began deployment in early July of high-efficiency Itron meters to replace its aging stock; the three-year program will enable Sydney Water (which serves 4.6 million people) to eventually take advantage of automated and advanced metering technology.
· In England, Thames Water is extending a smart grid trial in the town of Reading to the city of London; the utility’s commercial director, Dr. Piers Clark, says, “Smart water metering will play a critical role in helping the water industry to better manage consumption and leakage.”
· In Charlotte, N.C., a public-private effort called Smart Water Now is taking place to measure consumption and improve efficiency; the city has partnered with Itron, Siemens, CH2M Hill and Verizon to collect information with the aim of lowering operational costs and improving sustainability.
Similarly, at next month’s World Water Congress & Exhibition in Busan, South Korea, smart grid technologies will be front and center, with several workshops tackling the issues, such as “Creating Operationally Smart Networks – Today and in the Future,” and “Water Quality Control and the Smart Grid Approach.”
The drivers for smart grid technology in water are compelling: worldwide demand for water expected to soar 40% from current levels, according to the 2030 Water Resources Group; and losses from un-metered water total $14 billion in missed revenue opportunities each year, according to the World Bank. These drivers will help fuel a move to smart technology solutions that promise more efficient water systems.
Next page: Smart meters will play a key role >>
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