According to The United Nations World Water Development Report from 2020, the world could face a global water shortage of 40% by 2030 due to global warming and increased consumption. The European Commission's estimates reveal that 17% of the continent's territory is facing a Water Crisis, with the economic toll of droughts over the past three decades exceeding €100 billion.

When discussing the Water Emergency and its negative impacts on Climate Change, Ecosystem Degradation, and Human Health, we must also talk about the impact Industries have in this sector. must also be discussed with the Industrial Sector in mind. The Industrial sector withdraws 19% of the world’s freshwater resources, but estimates show that if Industries embraced the energy-efficiency solutions that are available, they could decrease their water consumption overall by up to 50%.

In Italy, for instance, over 43% of water losses stem from inefficiencies in the industrial sector caused by outdated infrastructures that are also hard to access for maintenance operations. Moreover, there is a lack of real-time monitoring and the collection and analysis of energy and performance data. These are issues that cannot be overlooked, and the call for innovative solutions is growing louder by the day. In this article, we will see the world of water-related energy sources, their obstacles, and the potential solutions that could redefine our relationship with water.

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Water's Untapped Potential as an Energy Source

Europe has been looking to water as a powerful ally in its quest for cleaner and more sustainable energy. The trio of water-based energy sources at the forefront of this movement includes:

• Hydroelectric Power: The potential of hydropower plants lies in their ability to harness the kinetic energy of moving water. Dams, strategically placed on rivers, create vast reservoirs of water. Upon release, the stored water flows through turbines, inducing powerful rotation, the result of which is the production of reliable and clean electricity. Hydropower is the dominant force among the five renewable energy sources, contributing 83% of the world's electricity.
• Thermal Power Plants: These power plants depend on water for cooling, facilitating the conversion of fossil fuels (such as coal or natural gas) into electricity. The process involves heating water to produce steam, which in turn drives turbines to generate power. Due to the steam condensing back into water, the cycle repeats continuously.
• Marine Energy from Wave Motion and Tides: The gravitational motion that leads to tides, along with the wind energy that creates wave motion, leads to periodic changes in water levels in the oceans and seas. Specialized turbines and wave converters capture the kinetic energy of vertical sea level changes. The result is a constant and renewable source of energy, especially in coastal regions.

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Challenges on the Path to Sustainability

World water consumption has increased sixfold in the last century, and this growth continues, at an annual rate of about 1%, due to population growth, economic development, and changes in consumption patterns. Current challenges include:

• Water Availability: Regions that are facing water scarcity and drought are seeing the agricultural, industrial and energy production sectors competing for scarce resources.
• Environmental Impact: Some power generation methods, such as large hydroelectric dams, have ramified and extensive environmental consequences, such as the destruction of natural habitats or environmental migrations with the displacement of communities.
• Climate Change: Climate change is having a massive impact on the natural environmental balance, altering precipitation patterns and altering water availability. These changes can, in turn, threaten the reliability of energy sources that depend precisely on water availability.

In this era of greater environmental concern, the focus on increasing water efficiency in power generation processes is rising. Advances in technology and sustainable practices therefore become critical to achieving the goals, and industry can contribute significantly.

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Scops: An Innovative Monitoring Solution

Quick Algorithm has developed Scops, an innovative solution that combines IoT, Data Analytics and Artificial Intelligence technologies. Scops presents itself as a proactive answer to the challenges of monitoring energy consumption, helping companies optimize costs and improve resource efficiency, following a sustainable perspective. In short, Scops makes it 5 times easier to measure and analyze data, 24/7, remotely, to detect malfunctions, waste and anomalous consumption in real time and comprehensively. All thanks to Wireless IoT Sensors, Data Transfer with Long Distance Radio Connection, Retrofitting of pre-existing meters and meters and the Automated Alerts on Anomalies.

In the area of Sustainability, Scops solves the challenges of remotely accessing and monitoring the network of machinery, plant and infrastructure, offering a solution to measure and analyze energy data and reduce consumption by up to 15%. In the area of Predictive Maintenance, Scops enables 24-hour monitoring to identify and prevent breakdowns, plant downtime and anomalies, reducing operational inefficiencies and improving productivity by up to 19%.

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Simplicity and Efficiency

Scops is designed to detect malfunctions, failures, and inefficiencies that might escape traditional monitoring systems or be detected too late. The main mission of Scops is to simplify the measurement and analysis of energy consumption patterns and performance of machinery, plants, buildings, and infrastructure. Scops is wireless, plug and play, and can be installed in less than 20 minutes, greatly reducing deployment time and activation costs compared to traditional monitoring solutions.

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The Smart Water Monitoring Kit's Potential

Scops provides a 360° view of business operations and consumption with the Smart Water Monitoring Kit. This Kit enables Energy Efficiency and Predictive Maintenance through 24/7, wireless and remote monitoring. With liquid level sensors designed to monitor liquids in airtight containers and distance sensors for solids and liquids, Scops can be applied in various situations, from monitoring plants and water tanks to controlling water infrastructures, pipelines, and drainage systems.

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Smart Long-Distance Monitoring

The Scops Kit is particularly suitable for long-distance monitoring in outdoor environments, such as water plants and wastewater treatment facilities. Energy and performance data collected by Scops' wireless IoT Sensors are transferred to the Scops Cloud through long-range radio transmissions. Scops' Artificial Intelligence algorithms automatically analyze this data, sending automated alerts in case of anomalies in the real-time data trends. With Scops, businesses can improve water efficiency by up to 20%.

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Toward a Sustainable Future

In conclusion, Scops represents a step forward in business monitoring. It offers a technologically advanced solution and a sustainable perspective for businesses, helping them reduce costs, enhance efficiency, and contribute to a greener, more sustainable future.

For more information about Scops and how it can revolutionize your Smart Water Monitoring practices, contact us via the Contact page, call us at +39 351 7631052, or write us at sales@scops.ai

Our dedicated team will be able to help you regarding specific needs, assisting with the implementation of Scops in your company.