BlueTech Forum Reveals Water Sector Strategies for Using Innovation to Thrive

May 12, 2017

Featured, Learning Opps

During BlueTech Forum 2016, speakers participated in the Decentralized Treatment and Re-Use panel. Speakers included, from left, Christine Martini, director, Ultra Capital LLC (San Francisco); Paula Kehoe, director of Water Resources for the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, Robert Kennedy, CTO, Newterra (Brockville, Ontario); Sandeep Sathyamoorthy, Process and Innovation leader, Black & Veatch (Overland Park, Kan.); and David Henderson, managing partner, XPV Water Partners (Toronto). Photo courtesy of BlueTech Research (Cork, Ireland).

During BlueTech Forum 2016, speakers participated in the Decentralized Treatment and Re-Use panel. Speakers included, from left, Christine Martini, director, Ultra Capital LLC (San Francisco); Paula Kehoe, director of water resources, San Francisco Public Utilities Commission; Robert Kennedy, CTO, Newterra (Brockville, Ontario); Sandeep Sathyamoorthy, process and innovation leader, Black & Veatch (Overland Park, Kan.); and David Henderson, managing partner, XPV Water Partners (Toronto). Photo courtesy of BlueTech Research (Cork, Ireland).

Water innovations will take center stage at the BlueTech Forum 2017. The theme for the event, hosted by BlueTech Research (Cork, Ireland) and scheduled for June 6–7 in Dublin, Ireland, is Water and the 4th Industrial Revolution.

During this industrial revolution, individuals gain power and influence as new technologies emerge and are placed in their hands. This results in the digital, physical, and biological worlds merging and the disruption of operations across all sectors. The BlueTech Forum will illustrate how the future of the water sector continues to be shaped by this revolution and provide strategies to adapt and thrive in this environment.

Forum attendees will learn about this topic through keynote speeches, case studies, and roundtable discussions. During the roundtables, moderators will provide introductory primers on 14 technology areas including nanofiltration, zero-liquid discharge, and big data.

BlueTech Forum 2016 attendees participate in the Water Technology Market Opportunity roundtable session. Photo courtesy of BlueTech Research.

BlueTech Forum 2016 attendees participate in the Water Technology Market Opportunity roundtable session. Photo courtesy of BlueTech Research.

Numerous WEF leaders will attend and participate. As a roundtable moderator, Ralph Exton, member of the 2016–2017 WEF Board of Trustees and chief marketing officer for GE Water & Process Technologies (Trevose, Pa.), will facilitate the “Internet of Water – Digital Water” discussion. During this roundtable, attendees will learn about how digital water technologies have the potential to transform the water sector, be introduced to examples of utilities and industrial companies implementing smart technology to solve challenges, and hear about best practices to help inform digital transformations, he said.

“The more we can learn from and leverage best practices from around the world, the more effective we can be to scale innovations and increase adoption,” Exton said. The event facilitates networking and provides attendees with current information on the water sector related to both business operations and new technologies, he said.

BlueTech Forum provides information on how to form partnerships to overcome challenges and operate in “new and innovative ways,” Exton said. “These partnerships will accelerate the development and, more importantly, the adoption of new technologies that enable things like real-time monitoring, asset performance management, and enhanced communication.”

Attendees can learn how water affects all types of sectors and leads to innovative partnerships. The forum also will cover benefits of adopting innovative technologies such as increasing access to reliable sources of clean water and sharing information to help the public accept water reuse, Exton said.

“When the water industry can come together, especially on an international level, to begin to develop and implement these solutions jointly, instead of in a vacuum, results happen much more quickly and can be scaled to other cities, regions, or even countries,” Exton said.

Attendees can learn about water sector innovations and the fourth industrial revolution during BlueTech Forum 2017. Photo courtesy of BlueTech Research.

Attendees can learn about water sector innovations and the fourth industrial revolution during BlueTech Forum 2017. Photo courtesy of BlueTech Research.

Exton expects to see increased adoption of technology and increased sharing of information that should help the public accept water reuse. “I also see this as a global opportunity to solve some of the water access and quality issues that have plagued developing countries as technology begins to facilitate change at the local level.” Low-cost sensors and instrumentation can provide more information and help drive informed decisions at every level, he said.

Register now to learn more about leading-edge technology and innovative practices, as well as network with peers and form business partnerships at the forum.

— Jennifer Fulcher, WEF Highlights

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