The total electricity consumption in water industries is approaching 1000 Terawatt hours (TWh) per annum
The Energy Battle in Water Utilities
With a coverage of 71% of the earth’s surface, water is one of the most common resources on the planet. Yet the scarcity of water resources is continuously rising given only 0.5% of earth’s water is fresh and available for human society. With an exponentially increasing global population and climate changes, the rising demand for water consumption is certainly inevitable.
Whether serving the purpose of industrial cooling technologies, agriculture irrigation or the basic drinking needs, the supplementation of water resources is an energy-intensive activity. With a global electricity consumption of 978.49 TWh per year, this figure is expected to rise by another 80% by 2040!
The energy efficiency potential for Water Management
Slowly but surely the energy consumption across water utilities will be occupied by (as shown in the image below)
Desalination processes projected to consume more energy (dramatically over 520% by 2040) in the future due to rising demand for fresh water, energy-intensive techniques like reverse osmosis, and stricter environmental regulations.
Long distance water transmission is anticipated to require increased energy usage (50% by 2040) due to urbanisation, aging infrastructure, and climate change impacts, necessitating the transportation of water over longer distances.
Wastewater treatment services are expected to see higher energy consumption (42% by 2040) as a result of population growth, stricter regulations, and the adoption of advanced treatment methods to meet quality standards.
Despite this dramatic growth rate, water industries still have significant potential for energy savings, especially in reducing water losses and energy wastage across its water supply-chain systems and Wastewater Treatment Processes (WWTPs).
According to the insights from Transforma, the Internet of Things (IoT) technology is expected to save at least 8 times the energy they are consuming, saving 230 billion cubic meters of water with a net reduction of electricity consumption of 16,000 billion kWh by 2030. Targeting the traditional and energy-intensive sections of water process and delivery, the energy wasted can be reduced up to 25% through dynamic analytics and real-time monitoring IoT sensors.
The Vital Role of Smart Tank Level Monitoring
One of the most common and important IoT applications is the smart monitoring of tank reservoir level in water supply & wastewater treatment procedures. The critical level measurements in water tank and wastewater tank level will significantly influence the energy efficiency of industrial pumping operation, safeguarding the global water and wastewater distribution system.
With municipally operating public water and sewage utilities contributing to 30%~40% of a city’s total energy expenditures, the following IoT-enabled system monitoring has very promising benefits on reducing these industrial energy consumptions.
Demand-based Pumping operation: With real-time data receptions on the water and wastewater levels within tanks, water utilities can optimize their energy consumptions up to 50% by varying the pumping speed rather than relying on constant pumping speeds.
Demand Forecasting: Smart monitoring systems can analyze historical data and patterns to forecast water demand and minimum tank levels accurately. By predicting demand fluctuations, water utilities can adjust pumping schedules and save energy expenses by 17%.
Leak Detection and Prevention: IoT-based level monitoring can detect any leaks in a timely manner, prevent water loss and the need for excessive pumping to compensate for lost water. This not only reduces the Non-Revenue Water (NRW) but also reduces the energy required to pump and treat additional water.
Preventive Maintenance: Early detection of abnormal tank levels can help prevent reservoir and storage losses on treated water and wastewater that consume a significant amount of energy, avoiding expensive and reactive downtime maintenance.
Ellenex: Industrial yet simplified IoT application
Sounds like what you seek in reducing your energy consumption? At Ellenex, we offer such edge-cutting and reliable IoT solution that will assist your water utility and wastewater treatment operations in a cost-effective manner.
Fuelled by our beliefs in the value of WATER resources and the 2030 visions of managing 300+ billion Litre of liquids at Ellenex, we are proud to offer energy efficient industrial solutions that come with technical simplicity and complete pre-configuration. With instant access to our user-friendly software platform and seamless data integration with your existing projects, you can confidently begin conserving energy through efficient water and wastewater tank monitoring.
As the pioneer in the integration of pressure and level sensors utilising LPWAN technologies, we specialise in meeting the demands of IoT applications in remote environments through our energy-efficient IoT devices. With the Wireless support of our Level Monitoring Product: PLS2-N | NB IoT - Cat-M1 Level Transmitter for Liquid Media,can ensure real-time monitoring of your industrial tank levels with unparalleled accuracy and beyond:
Wide Coverage: NB-IoT operates in licensed spectrum, which provides better coverage compared to other IoT technologies like Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. It can penetrate deep into buildings and underground structures, making it suitable for applications in urban, rural, and indoor environments.
Low Power Consumption: our NB-IoT devices are designed to operate with very low power consumption, with the capability of serving level monitoring up to 10+ years. Without the need for frequent battery replacements or recharging, your energy and costs on maintenance are kept to its minimum, especially advantageous for water storage or wastewater tanks that are located in remote or inaccessible locations.
High Scalability: NB-IoT supports a massive number of devices within a single cellular network, making your monitoring network highly scalable. This scalability is crucial for IoT deployments in Water & Wastewater industry that are operating across vast acres.
Ellenex Offerings
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