SW4EU, a unique water network in Europe
What is it?
A collaborative project comprising 21 players from the public and private sectors led by Dutch utility Vitens and featuring technology demonstration sites performed by Acciona Agua, Thames Water, the University of Lille and Vitens, focused on making the business case for smart water supply networks around the world.
What has it done?
By combining data and experience from four sites in different circumstances across Europe, the initiative allows for forward thinking and knowledge-gathering about smart water on an unprecedented scale, giving new insight into an industry that could save global water operators an estimated €10 billion a year.
What makes it special?
By bringing together the brightest minds and the most impressive technologies with the experience and presence of major utilities, the group can take a uniquely holistic view of the benefits of smart water management. This is crucial in an industry niche which has struggled with fragmentation in the past.
Creating a ‘safe space’ for the testing of new technology gives some of the most exciting innovators in water tech an unparalleled chance to demonstrate the effectiveness of their applications to a traditionally conservative industry.
A €6 million grant from the European Commission, secured in 2013, has allowed the group to take its message to the industry on a completely new scale, and moves it from being an agitator for change to a collaborative force capable of revolutionizing the entire water industry.
