Acciona has launched a pilot project that incorporates R4000 by Hidroconta ultrasound remote reading meters connected to Vodafone’s Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) communications network to optimise end-to-end water management in the town of Yuncos (Toledo province of Spain).
The new remote reading system, currently in pilot phase, will provide real-time information to manage the service, involving the hourly recording of water consumption and more accurate detection of events and incidents (leaks and pipe breaks, unusual consumption levels, etc.). Thanks to the real-time transmission of data ACCIONA will obtain detailed information on possible misuse or incidents that can occur in the water system to enable early detection and solving of problems in a shorter time, avoiding the disruption of supplies to users.
This information means that maintenance planning can be optimized and management and operation times and costs reduced, thereby improving the efficiency and quality of the service provided to the 11,000+ people living in Yuncos.
Once the system has been validated, the data obtained will be centralized in BIONS, ACCIONA’s Business Intelligence service platform for water services, designed to detect, analyse and manage events and incidents in the water supply network. Working with aggregated information and data from several sources helps the decision-making process and the design of proactive measures through the use of predictive models based on Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning. Furthermore, and with the aim of placing the end user at the centre of our priorities, these readings can be accessed from ACCIONA’s Virtual Office of its Water Division. This means that our clients can self-manage the tasks that they currently perform in the physical office in a simple, intuitive and flexible way.
The NB-IoT technology, based on the Internet of Things, makes it possible to connect all kinds of devices (e.g. water meters), even at sites without signal coverage. It is a state-of-the-art technology that enables the connection of meters located underground and inside buildings with poor or no signal coverage, i.e. places where standard communication networks cannot reach. As a result, thanks to its NB-IoT network in Spain -one of the biggest in Europe- Vodafone can extend the advantage of IoT technology to other services based on connected devices.
No other data transmission infrastructure is required apart from an e-sim card included inside the meter.
The NB-IoT technology, based on the Internet of Things, makes it possible to connect all kinds of devices (e.g. water meters), even at sites without signal coverage
The ultrasound meters supplied by Hidroconta are the R400 Centinel DN 15 mm high-precision model, with starter flows from 1 l/h, no mobile parts and integrated NB-IoT communication technology. This model detects a series of very useful alarms in the management of the service, for leaks, flow direction, pipe breaks, battery levels, backflow, etc.
The units in Yuncos are installed on building façades and emit and record 24 remote readings per hour per sector. They also monitor the level of input water through a digitized PREDATOR DN 65 mm meter equipped with an IRIS NBIoT communication module (also manufactured by Hidroconta).
The implementation of these new meters with NB-IoT technology is part of ACCIONA Water Division’s commitment to digital transformation. The company has provided domestic water supplies, sanitation and wastewater treatment in Yuncos since 2013.
This project is also part of Vodafone's sustainability strategy, which aims to provide its business customers with technological solutions that minimize their environmental impact. This solution will allow the reduction and optimization of water consumption, as well as reductions in the CO2 emissions associated with maintenance activities and meter reading.
