Software-as-a-Service: A Novelty for Water Utilities

Many proponents of SaaS argue that it is a powerful paradigm for data analytics and for enterprises, especially those with complex processes and large data sets, such as utilities. This is true in theory, but we wanted to test this in practice. Most utilities are not past users of any cloud based services or of software provided under a SaaS business model. In fact, when selling the TaKaDu solution, we encounter utilities who have never considered using a SaaS product before. Spain’s Udal Sareak from Bilbao is one of them.

We recently had a brief phone interview with Mr. Koldo Urkullu, General Manager of Udal Sareak, the Bilbao Water Consortium responsible for managing the water distribution network of 60 municipalities and localities in the Bilbao area.

Plugging the Leaks: The Business of Repair

Lux Research have published a new report. In it they put the value of the water infrastructure inspection and repair market at $ 20 Bn annually, growing at a healthy clip of 10% a year.

“Outdated water infrastructure and record high government deficits are both fueling demand for low-cost inspection and repair solutions – namely software and sensor technologies that can provide a snapshot of a utility’s entire infrastructure,” said Brent Giles, a Lux Research Senior Analyst and the report’s lead author. “Without this holistic view, utilities cannot prioritize the most critical repairs – and may end up throwing money down the drain to address the leaks that are visible today rather than the ones that could prove catastrophic tomorrow.”

What’s interesting about the report is that Lux say that although the market is big and growing, the result of an infrastructure deficit and aging pipes, the underlying problem the market is set to solve – water loss – won’t be resolved without technology innovation.

While Lux commends both Smart Metering and Pipe Repair Technologies, it comments that the big move that would make a lasting change in the management of water networks is Smart Infrastructure Monitoring options.

Water PLUS – Keys to Building a Scalable Water Business (Part 2)

This is the last of a two-part series by Guy Horowitz, TaKaDu’s VP of Marketing, about scaling a water technology business.
In my previous post I introduced the PLUS framework for water-technology scalability, and expanded upon the first two attributes: Software and Usability. Let’s explore the other two:Leverage and Partners.

Charting Our Water Future: Making Water Everyone’s Business

Going through “Charting Our Water Future”, a report by the 2030 water resources group, which, as its name implies, is looking at the future of water supplies in 2030.
One of the views that caught my eye in the report was the gap between how policy makers see the priority of making water investments and evaluating these water investments from an economic viewpoint.

Let’s say a country is facing water shortages. Should it invest in creating more water (desalination, for instance), improving its water infrastructure (investing in groundwater production and pipe networks) or try to get more efficiency gains (e.g. scheduling agricultural irrigation)?

Ferrara: Smart Water Networks, or: No Water Left Behind

Blogging from the Water Efficiency Conference in Ferrara, Italy. The Water Efficiency Conference is proving so far to provide a deep look into the core issues surrounding water efficiency initiatives: Looking at the real cost of water to measure what the economically efficient investment in leakage reduction should be; and Emphasizing both leak control and the reduction of consumption.

How Much Does Water REALLY Cost?

How much does water cost? The answer may not be as simple as you think. True, like most commodities, it is priced differently in different parts of the world, and the retail price does not always reflect the wholesale price, so the right answer is “depends”. But things actually get much more complicated than that when we try to estimate the true cost of delivering water.

Water and Energy – and Even More Energy

Blogging from the IWA Utilities Conference in Barcelona.
The morning session dealt with Water and Energy. Yes, there are obvious interdependencies between water supply / treatment / wastewater and energy production / expenditure. But Roelof Kruize of WaterNet, a Dutch water supply and sanitation company, drew attention to some ‘hidden’ energy encapsulated within the water.

The Boston Burst Aftermath

Over the past few days, the city of Boston has been experiencing what was described by many as a ‘state of emergency’. The water distribution to major parts of the city was cut for several days as a result of a large main break.

The aftermath of this event is likely to show that the only ones paying the full price in this case will be the residents of Boston.