British Water Members' Handbook 2017 2017 Edition | Page 39

T W ENT Y65
Consider the case of an urban area with a dense
population. A large investment in infrastructure
has been made over the past century and pipe
networks will likely still represent the best way to
deliver mass quantities of water. But to extract
the best performance from these systems, we
will need pervasive sensors to understand the
location, condition and performance of this critical
infrastructure. This data could be obtained by robotic
autonomous systems, such that human intervention in
buried infrastructure is eliminated in the future.
If our water systems are well-understood thanks
to robotic autonomous devices, there may be the
ability to add value to the networks by using them
for distributed energy storage. The energy sector
is increasingly in need of energy storage to balance
renewable energy sources and demand across their
distribution grids.
TWENTY65 will research the potential for using
pumped water in combination with heat recovery
and other energy generation technologies, at various
scales, to serve as energy storage and thereby avoid
costly energy grid upgrades. Such added value
would help drive and underpin investment in water
infrastructure, without directly affecting the price paid
by consumers for clear water.
Given the need to increase the sustainability of
treatment and the influence of pipe infrastructure on
water quality degradation, treatment technologies of
the future should be considered at the point of need,
matching water quality with water use.
This paradigm shift will be investigated in TWENTY65
via multiple treatment options including treatment at
the household or neighbourhood scale via gravity-fed
advanced ultra and nano-membrane filters with little
or no pre-treatment, introduction of novel treatments
such as synthetic biology to remove fats, oils and
greases at the customer sink, or novel adsorption/ion
exchange and electrochemical oxidation processes
to recover nutrients from wastewater and remove
emerging pollutants.
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However, technological advances alone will not
succeed in addressing future water challenges if
providers, regulators, industry and the general public
are not mobilised. Therefore, there is a great need
to better understand and engage with a variety of
stakeholders. The mobilisation research theme will
develop a systematic framework for describing and
assessing engagement activities, with the goal that
stakeholder-based solutions be considered equally
alongside other technical innovations to address future
water challenges.
Underpinning this vision for the future of water
is the concept of a collaborative and innovative
sector. Working collaboratively across the water
supply chain from challenge identification through
commercialisation and implementation at a water
company (Figure 1) will be essential in achieving a
sustainable outcome for the water sector in the future.
TWENTY65 will be researching collaboration processes
for innovation in this context and developing tools and
models to guide future joint work efforts.
Good collaboration requires great communication.
The TWENTY65 Hub will serve as the central point of
contact for a variety of cross-sector interactions to
enable innovation, including through a set of Thought
Leadership Clubs. Part of the journey to a new future
is a shared vision, so the Hub will be developing a
roadmap in consultation with water sector leaders,
companies, researchers, and users.
The first step in the road-mapping process is underway
with the development of white papers about disruptive
innovations, to lay out the current situation, the
potential pathways forward, and the research needs
to get there. Collectively, we can solve the grand
challenge of clean water for all for the future and
ensure the sustainability of this vital resource.
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