Global Water Summit 2018
The arrival of new technologies, businesses and sources of finance are blurring the edges of the water sector and empowering the global water industry to connect, innovate, and rethink the way it does business.
Key Questions
- How is the migration of new and disruptive technologies from the digital revolution and the field of material sciences impacting scientific and technological development? Do these signal an age of business process re-engineering?
- With the entry of non-traditional sources of finance and companies from different business backgrounds such as investment, software, ICT, and construction, where is the impact of new financing tools and new sources of capital needed most? How much finance does the water sector need in order to meet the Sustainable Development Goals?
- How can utilities and industries proactively respond to a changing environment? Are they moving overground or looking beyond the fence towards shared infrastructure and multi-use assets?
- Global vs. local – the internationalisation of the water sector is increasingly faced with contemporary political and environmental challenges. How can the water sector continue to foster a competitive market?
Nexus-relevant sessions
Desalination // Water Technology Idol (Day 2)
What are the big ideas that have the potential to change the face of desalination and water reuse? Picking winners at an early stage is extremely difficult but Tech Idol has a remarkable success rate, highlighting the potential of breakthrough technologies such as NanoH2O, Voltea and Gradiant, well before the rest of the market had twigged to their advantages. We bring together five of the hottest ideas in desalination and water reuse, and pitch them against each other in front of our lethal judging panel to help uncover the game changer. It will be elected Tech Idol 2018. With a compelling new presentation and voting format introduced this year, attendance is mandatory session for for anyone wanting to stay ahead of the future of desalination and reuse.
Lessons from High-Tech End Users: Increasing Technology Synergies and Innovation in Water (Day 1)
Water technology development has been constrained by low margins and high regulation. While the challenges around water are growing, developing solutions for those problems is difficult and slow. But not all areas of water are struggling to the same degree. High margin, hi-tech end users demonstrate a niche where new technologies are piloted and commercialised rapidly, and where effective synergies exist between end users and technology providers. What can the rest of the water sector learn from their success?
Efficiency // How is Hong Kong Water Supplies Department improving its energy efficiency? (Day 2)
To provide a water supply to a city of 7 million with mountainous topography, a vast amount of energy is necessary. The Hong Kong Government has reduced its energy use per capita of water consumers by 8.3% over the past decade, implementing a number of innovative renewable energy projects including hydropower at water treatment works and floating photovoltaics panels at its impounding reservoirs – another step towards sustainability. Mr Chau will also discuss Hong Kong’s current desalination plans in this context.
Where and when
Paris
France
15-17 April 2018