avk-esg-2024-25 - Flipbook - Page 23
Water has a significant impact on health, quality of life,
energy consumption, and on our climate. “Clean water
and sanitation for all” is UN SDG 6 which emphasises that
water is a vital resource. In fact, water plays a crucial role in
solving many of the underlying problems that have led to all
UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.
Today, we are wasting tomorrow’s water
Water is a scarce resource in many parts of
the world. Yet, in some countries, between 20
and 50% of the treated water is wasted on its
way to consumers. Consequently, up to 50%
of energy used for production and distribution
of treated water is wasted too. By 2040,
approximately 79% more energy will be used
for water management compared to 2014 if we
continue to operate as we do now.
The reasons for water loss are many, ranging
from leakages, pipe bursts, poor water
management to illegal connections and
unauthorised consumption. Likewise, many
solutions are available.
The technologies are there – we just need
the initiative
In Denmark, legislation does not allow a water
loss rate of more than 10%. Over time, this has
resulted in one of the world’s lowest average
water waste rates of 7.8% and has placed
Denmark as a front-runner in water technology
and solutions.
As water sources are already overexploited and
populations are increasing, we need to apply
better management. And what better way to
start than by minimising the waste of water.
The revised EU Drinking Water Directive,
which addresses water loss, drinking water
quality, and infrastructure risk assessment
requirements, gives hope that more decision
makers will see the positive effects of
legislation in crucial areas such as water
infrastructure.
CASE
OPTIMISING SILKEBORG FORSYNING’S
DISTRIBUTION NETWORK
supporting Silkeborg Forsyning’s remediation
strategy and helping prioritise pipe renovations.
Silkeborg Forsyning, a Danish utility company
located in Silkeborg, supplies drinking water
to 60,000 consumers via a 640-kilometre
pipeline network and 21,500 consumer metres,
producing around 3 million cubic metres of
water annually. Silkeborg Forsyning was looking
for a way to optimise the water distribution
network as they lacked real-time insight into
flow and pressure, making it difficult to detect
leaks and reduce Non-Revenue Water (NRW).
In addition, the AVK Smart Water system is
used in the daily monitoring of the pressure in
the distribution system to provide consumers
and plumbers with knowledge about the supply
pressure they can expect at the household.
To address this, Silkeborg Forsyning initiated
a strategic plan to divide its network into 24
District Metering Areas (DMAs). This approach
would enable better control, faster leak
detection, more efficient operations, and a
better foundation for new investments in the
network.
Silkeborg Forsyning researched several
technologies to collect, send and analyse data
for flow and pressure. They ended up selecting
AVK Smart Water for its technical fit and
competitive pricing.
“We monitor pressure levels throughout the day
and across the week to identify opportunities
for adjusting pressure in different sections of
the network, with the aim of achieving energy
savings”, says Gert Rasmussen from Silkeborg
Forsyning.
Likewise, Silkeborg Forsyning uses the
Smart Water system to give contractors and
blacksmiths a better understanding of how the
water pipeline network is connected, including
transmission lines and sections. Different maps
have been imported into the VIDI Cloud system,
which help with the visual understanding.
“AVK Smart Water has provided us with several
benefits, but if I were to highlight just a few, it
would be that we, as a water utility, have gained
an almost complete overview of the dynamics
of our water networks and their sections. And
the more data we log, the easier it gets for us
to detect deviations.”
The chosen solution included wireless, batterypowered sensors with stable data transmission,
configurable measurement intervals, alarm
functionality, and seamless integration with
Silkeborg Forsyning’s SCADA and IT systems.
Silkeborg Forsyning invested in 33 AVK VIDI
Flow transmitters, 33 AVK VIDI flow metres,
and 35 AVK VIDI Pressure sensors as well as
a subscription for VIDI Cloud Basic. Next, the
utility will implement VIDI Cloud Premium with
Leak Monitor software to analyse night flow
and pinpoint leaks within each DMA, further
enhancing network efficiency and supporting
more sustainable water management.
Smart Water monitoring provides insight into
which of the 24 DMAs receive the most water
at night, helping identify potential water waste.
Alarms triggered by abnormal night-time flow
alert the utility to possible burst or irregularities,
AVK Group Sustainability report 2024/2025 | 23
