Lydia Vamvakeridou Lyroudia Leading the 3rd WIE session: Discover the panelists
The third-panel session on “Water & energy services: what can they learn from each other” will be moderated by Lydia Vamvakeridou Lyroudia, WssTP Working Group Leader: Water & Energy and Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Water Systems (University of Exeter)
Water and energy utilities and services are both critical infrastructures: both are subject to similar security (physical and cybersecurity) issues; they are providers to households and interact directly with citizen customers, in terms of pricing, bills and services; they are facing digitalisation for their operational management; they are on the receiving end of climate change impacts that will affect customer demand; they are also interacting. In general the energy sector is bigger and less fragmented than the water sector. It is also implementing faster the digitalisation requirements. When it comes to legislation, both water and energy utilities are facing similar regulatory issues and are supervised by regulatory bodies.
During this panel, we will explore:
- Campaigns and incentives targeting customer interaction and awareness for water and energy saving-changing and influencing behaviour. This issue will also need to focus on hot water use at household and industrial level. What has been done so far? What can be done in the future? Can certain actions be coordinated for both? Can they exchange data and information to lead to better results for customer awareness and environmentally friendly behaviour? Can this have an impact on water and energy pricing?
- The water sector entering energy production (e.g. through waste water recycled energy). Are there any practices that would benefit both?
- Security issues. How do they face them in the energy and water domain? Can they combine efforts (e.g. for cybersecurity?)
- What are the main issues (e.g. barriers) that they would need to overcome to be able to develop synergies for data share and data exchange, interoperability, customer awareness campaigns, combined response to threats, risk management?
- Success stories: Are there any examples where synergies between the water and energy sector yielded beneficial results for the customers and the environment?
Do you want to know more about WIE2019 programme, please visit WIE website.
Read MoreUN Report: Nature’s Dangerous Decline ‘Unprecedented’ Species Extinction Rates ‘Accelerating’
Nature is declining globally at rates unprecedented in human history — and the rate of species extinctions is accelerating, with grave impacts on people around the world now likely, warns the new report from the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) published early in May.
Compiled by 145 expert authors from 50 countries over the past three years, with inputs from another 310 contributing authors, the Report assesses changes over the past five decades, providing a comprehensive picture of the relationship between economic development pathways and their impacts on nature. It also offers a range of possible scenarios for the coming decades.
Water has been mentioned 104 times in the report which highlights, among others, that ‘Over 80 per cent of global wastewater is being discharged back into the environment without treatment, while 300–400 million tons of heavy metals, solvents, toxic sludge and other wastes from industrial facilities are dumped into the world’s waters each year”.
For more information, please click here.
Read MoreExamples of Citizen science /Crowdsourcing applications and services in support of the WFD wanted!
The Norwegian Institute of Water Research (NIVA) has been commissioned by the Norwegian Environment Agency to conduct a small study in 2019 examining the feasibility of using citizen science and / or crowdsourcing in support of Water Framework Directive work onwards in Norway.
A part of the study is to collect international examples, “good and less good”, to describe what has been tested and/or used elsewhere, whether as web services or smartphone apps or both, with success or without success. We seek both the more natural science oriented applications, and the applications that are more oriented towards viewpoint/opinions, eg proposals for measures.
Also services and applications directly targeting the official public consultation process is wanted. The survey will take less than a minute to complete!
Ready ? Help them by filling the survey HERE
If you have question, please contact Line Barkved, line.barkved@niva.no or Dr Sindre Langaas, sindre.langaas@niva.no
Read MoreFloor Brouwer, leading WIE2019 second session
The second session of WIE2019 will be dedicated to “Water & energy services interlinkages”. Floor Brouwer, WssTP Working Group Leader “Water-Energy-Food” Biodiversity Nexus & Environmental Economist at WUR, will moderate the session presenting examples of key interlinkages between water and energy nexus.
Session narrative
Water & energy services are strongly interlinked. The provision of energy services is very dependent upon the availability of sufficient water of good quality. Similarly, the provision of water services requires energy. The transition towards a low-carbon and green economy will involve energy saving actions, improving energy efficiency and increasing energy production from renewable sources. Is there potential for synergies with the water sector and how could they be achieved (e.g. joint investments)?
The Session will present examples of key interlinkages between water and energy. Moreover, examples are presented regarding water innovations in the transition to a low-carbon economy.
During this panel, we will explore:
- Regulations, legislation and governance: how systematic promotion of mutually reinforcing policy actions across government and agencies can create synergies between the water and energy sectors?
- Principles and trends of water and energy pricing (considering water and energy savings) and how this affects customer behaviour. Is water pricing different from energy pricing?
- Examples of key interlinkages between water and energy – what is the future of renewable energy in Europe and is the potential for water saving increasing?
- The future of renewable energy has potential for water saving – are there synergies and trade-offs between water and energy? What are the main threats that need to be resolved? What synergies between energy and water services are established in urban development?
For more information about the second session panellists, please read our latest WssTP announcement HERE
Want to know more about WIE2019 programme, please visit WIE website.
Read MoreWssTP Innovation Awards registrations close on the 20/05!
Last week to register for the WssTP Innovation Awards! WssTP Awards open their doors to diverse areas of expertise, as five different prize categories are featured, giving this way the opportunity to applicants to stand out in their respective fields of specialization.
WssTP Awards Categories
SME Prize: that are innovative both in terms of the solutions and the technologies they create and the way they market themselves and/or their solutions.
Water Governance Prize: Successful governance solutions
Technology & Ιnfrastructure Prize: Innovative technologies related to all aspects of the water cycle.
Digital Water Prize: Solutions providing digital value to water.
Global Water Challenges Prize:Water Innovative initiatives following the Sustainable Development goals.
For more information, please visit our WIE2019 website.
Read MoreGONZALO DELACAMARA LEADING WIE2019 FIRST SESSION
The WIE2019 agenda is taking an exciting shape, featuring a wide range of distinguished speakers and moderators from thewater and energy sector.
The first session of WIE2019 will focus on “The common challenges for water and energy’ and, Gonzalo Delacamara, WssTP Leader of the Cluster Value of Water group & Senior Research Fellow at IMDEA Agua will moderate the first panel session. We are also excited to announce that Professor Dragan Savic, CEO of KWR Watercycle Research Institute, will deliver a keynote speech as scientific speaker for this year’s edition.
Session narrative
A sustainable future is possible within existing resources. The assessment of the best available water and energy technologies shows that there is leeway for improvement both in terms of macroeconomic performance and social development. A number of alternatives within the scope of nexus thinking are compatible with growth and development as well as with the reversion of environmental degradation patterns, thus suggesting that enhancing resilience is not only desirable but also possible.
The basic fact is that there is no other option for managing water and energy challenges than in an integrated way. The growing demand for limited water supplies puts increasing pressure for the energy sector. In turn, access to energy could exacerbate the water crisis. Coordinated responses should take advantage of these synergies. Saving energy entails saving water and vice versa. Quite often, both also imply saving money. Progressing in managing the nexus requires collective action and this, in turn, calls for the right incentives. For that to happen, though, institutional, analytical, and technological lock-ins must be unlocked.
Discussions will revolve around these questions:
- A wider notion of governance, one that stands for mastering complexity, in order to show economic, financial, and other relevant policy edges of managing the water-energy nexus within the context of a green economy towards a smarter society.
- Will it be through alliances for joint action? Is there any role for multi-service utilities or integrated procurement? Can the circularity of the economy be a driver for a more sustainable management of the water-energy nexus? Is there need for a long-term water and energy strategy or rather a meaningful effort for a greener economy?
Panellists of the first session will be confirmed soon. Stay updated by looking at our WIE website.
For more information about the event programme, please visit WIE website.
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