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.
