In Europe we have quality water and sanitation services, although there is a small part of the population without access.
In general, in the old continent we find problems that stem from very old infrastructure with a very low rate of renovation and which suffers the consequences of population growth, urbanisation and climate change.
Water operators in Europe have to manage ageing infrastructure with a very small investment capacity, while they maintain increasingly more demanding quality standards and with operating costs on the rise. Their main objective is to do more with less, in order to optimise resource use, staff and asset management. The regulations often drive the priorities in terms of investment and innovation. Resilience is, in this context, the need to adapt to the effects of climate change, by reducing water losses, looking for alternative supply sources, and ensuring the availability, reliability and the safety of plants and networks faced under shifting climate conditions.
Currently, new technologies provide an opportunity to address the challenges the sector faces, and Europe is at the forefront of the implementation of innovative solutions in the water industry. Even though there are fewer startups and technology companies than in North America, there are many water companies ready to renew themselves and embrace the changes brought on by the digital transformation.
Our telemetry systems have controlled the water and waste water networks in London for Thames Water for nearly a decade
A trip through the innovation landscape of our European clients
Schneider Electric has a long trajectory in Europe in the water management sector. We are proud to have in this region of the world some forward-thinking clients that have pioneered the implementation of cutting-edge solutions, with whom we work to improve the solutions and digital services we offer in our EcoStruxure platform. Likewise, many of our highly qualified technology partners and integrators belonging to our Alliance Partner network are found here.
In Spain, we are collaborating with ACCIONA on the implementation of their Water Control Centre (CECOA) for remote management of all the plants the company operates in the world. This ambitious project uses a Wonderware System Platform by AVEVA as the base platform for the integration of the information from different sources, which is processed using mathematical algorithms to facilitate decision making and improve the efficiency and productivity of the plants.
Our SCADA software manages the water supply to Rome and its metropolitan area, as part of a technological contract with ACEA
We have implemented our new EcoStruxure Pumping Performance Advisor solution for pumping stations with different clients, a solution that results in savings of 15% in energy, O&M and maintenance costs, with a ROI of two years. This solution is being applied in France and Italy as well.
EcoStruxure Pumping Performance Advisor
In the United Kingdom, our telemetry systems have controlled the water and waste water networks in London for Thames Water for nearly a decade, as well as those in Manchester and Liverpool for United Utilities. Our remote control systems also monitor two thirds of the water resources in the country for the Environment Agency, with special emphasis on flood management. In the east of England, aside from the telemetry system with our remote stations and the EcoStruxure Geo SCADA Expert to manage the water network of Anglian Water, the largest in the country with more than 38,000 kilometres of drinking water pipelines and 76,000 of sewer pipelines, we have implemented, together with our technological partner AVEVA, a centralised access to all business information with AVEVA Enterprise Historian. The Integrated Leakage and Pressure Management System (ILPMS), developed jointly with this emblematic client, won in 2018 the Silver Smart Water Award given by the IWA, and has become a critical business and decision-making tool for Anglian Water. According to the latests published results, the ILPMS allowed reducing leakages drastically, by 10 Ml/day (3.6 Mm3/year), optimising field operations.
Water Loss Management System of Acqua Novara, Italy.
In Italy, where regulations drive water companies to reduce losses due to leaks and to improve service levels, we actively collaborate with clients such as Acqua Novara, Padania Acque and others. With our integrator partners, we have implemented our telemetry and SCADA systems together with the Water Loss Management leak management system, and the Water Network Management network optimisation system by AVEVA, and we have achieved real savings of 15% in energy use and a 10% reduction in water losses. In Rome, our SCADA software manages the water supply to Rome and its metropolitan area, as part of a technological contract with ACEA for several years.
More than two thirds of the river basin authorities in Spain also use AVEVA's SCADA software to control their water resources
In Belgium, the Société Wallonne des Eaux (SWDE) started in 2015 an ambitious 10-year plan to reduce its operating costs and energy consumption, optimise operations staff and, with these savings, pay for renovations to its drinking water treatment plants and its water supply network. Our automation technology Modicon M-580 and the Wonderware System Platform control software by our partner AVEVA enabled the automation of all drinking water treatment and supply processes, thus achieving the objective of reducing manpower. In 2020, SWDE will implement the EcoStruxure Resource Advisor to monitor energy use and reduce its electricity bill.
Continuing with reducing energy costs, in Spain we have worked with the Consorcio de Aguas de Bilbao Bizkaia, providing advisory services regarding energy purchase and regulatory changes, and validating their bills. This client, together with others such as EMASESA in Seville and Agbar in Barcelona, use AVEVA's SCADA software to control and manage their water and waste water networks, as well as their water and waste water treatment plants.
More than two thirds of the river basin authorities in Spain also use AVEVA's SCADA software to control their water resources, as it is the world’s leading software to control and manage all phases of the water cycle.
EcoStruxure Pumping Performance Advisor, for pumping station management
In The Netherlands, our automation and control systems enable water supply companies like Vitens and Oasen to optimise their operations, to ensure the drinking water treatment and supply to almost half of the country's population.
In countries such as France, Belgium and Denmark we are deploying the IoT Cloud Connected Sensor XIOT solution within our EcoStruxure platform, to monitor remote or hard-to-access areas, connecting field data directly with the IT layer, and providing quick, safe and low cost access to information. We work with clients such as F-Reg, SIAPBE and AquaGlobe, helping them reduce the volume of discharges, flooding and system overload in sanitation networks, and ensuring the correct functioning of critical equipment in waste water treatment plants.
Our automation and control systems enable water supply companies like Vitens and Oasen to optimise their operations
France is one of the countries where our augmented reality solution, EcoStruxure Augmented Operator Advisor, is being applied to facilitate the operation, maintenance and training of operators in water treatment plants. Also in this country, we have the largest waste water treatment plant in the whole of Europe, the Seine Aval plant in Paris, which has all the electrification and automation technology of Schneider Electric. Moreover, the entire water supply to the city of Paris is managed using the Wonderware System Platform SCADA software by our technological partner AVEVA.
In another large coastal French city we have implemented the Water Network Management hydraulic simulation system, connected with the SCADA Wonderware System Platform by AVEVA for a 'hypervision' of water conveyance and distribution systems. The online model supports the operations to manage critical situations and evaluate performance in real time, whereas the offline model is a planning platform that integrates GIS information and data on the seasonal variation of the demand. The EcoStruxure solution allows a more efficient network operation and regulating pressures in the uneven topography of the area, with subsequent energy savings.
Cloud Connected XIOT Sensor: IoT sensor for water infrastructure monitoring; less than 30 minutes to set up
The online Water Network Management model by AVEVA is being implemented in the entire water supply network of Oslo, in order to reduce the existing high level of leakage and ensure the future supply of potable water in the Norwegian capital city.
As a conclusion, Schneider Electric and its technological partner AVEVA, through our EcoStruxure platform, are present in the management of water and waste water in cities such as London, Liverpool, Manchester, Rome, Barcelona, Seville, Bilbao, Utrecht, Rotterdam, Belgrade and Sofia, among others. Our technology is used for the electrification and automation of the largest European waste water treatment plant in Paris, and manages more than two thirds of the water resources in the United Kingdom and Spain. Our EcoStruxure range of solutions is constantly evolving thanks to the use of our technology by more than 10,000 water and waste water companies in Europe and more than 500 system integrators that help us implement it in all countries of the European Union. Thanks to our technology, our clients benefit from greater security concerning the management of the different phases of the water cycle, ensure compliance with strict European regulations, and achieve important savings in operating costs, optimising their water supply, sanitation, treatment, basin management and desalination infrastructure.
Virtual reality in treatment plant with EcoStruxure Augmented Operator Advisor
