--
Can Tech Companies’ Climate Pledges Solve the Water Crisis?
Riggs Eckelberry reports weekly on issues facing the water industry. Here, he reviews how much tech companies can really help with climate change . To hear, watch, and chat with Riggs live, sign up by clicking HERE.
When it comes to the world’s water crisis, there’s nothing wrong with offsets — after all, every bit helps — and it’s great that Facebook is setting an example.
But Facebook is not a major water user. In fact, 84% of the world’s available fresh water is consumed by agriculture (70%) and industry (14%). If we can make these users even 5% more efficient, that will be a great win.
One solution? Recycling.
Consider this: Israel recycles nearly 90% of its water. The second in the world is Spain at 20%. The USA? Less than 1%. Crazy, right?
The issue is that our aging infrastructure isn’t designed for reuse. Israel did it by investing early in the 2000s in brand-new infrastructure that supported recycling and efficient wastewater treatment. But the old treatment plants in America’s cities don’t support it, and the political will to fix it just doesn’t exist (the new infrastructure bill has just $55 billion for water, and even that is running into trouble).
Decentralization.
The solution is decentralization. Spurred by water rates that are rising far faster than core inflation, local businesses are investing in their own water treatment systems. This takes the load off the central infrastructure and encourages recycling. Why not reuse the water you’re treating yourself?
The challenges…
The challenge, as pointed out by Lux Research’s Closing the Loop: The Future of Decentralized Water Webinar in 2016, is how to scale large systems down. So, the key is modular, drop-in-place systems instead of large concrete installations.
Also, finance is an issue: the big water systems at least can issue bonds; but smaller operators have to use private funding. This is where we see benefit in Water Purchase Agreements, similar to Solar PPAs. This eliminates the upfront capital for these “users at the edge.”
It’s the future.
The future for water, as in transportation, computing and energy, is decentralization. I began pointing this out in 2016, and it is becoming a reality today. That’s why my company OriginClear® is working to make this change far easier than it’s ever been. I welcome you to get in touch with us to find out more, including ways to invest in these Water Purchase Agreements… Just go to oc.gold/ken to book a call with the brilliant Ken Berenger.
Never miss a story…
You can hear more stories like the one above and discover the financial benefits of decentralized water when you join me on my weekly WATER IS THE NEW GOLD™ Live CEO Briefing each Thursday night.
You can register for the event by clicking here now.
I look forward to having you join me there. Also, while we’re live together, there will be a chat feature that will allow you to ask me questions directly.
And if you can’t make it for on a Thursday night, you’ll get video replays in both English and Spanish languages. So join me!
Yours In Water,
Riggs Eckelberry
President & CEO
OriginClear, Inc.
PS: Questions? We’re happy to help! Just schedule a call here now: www.oc.gold/help. Or email us here.
