Real-time energy management| SUEZ in the UK

How it works

Our software uses data collected from the production-distribution system, calculating water consumption forecasts and energy prices to model the information. Aquadvanced^® Water Supply (it was formerly known as Aquadvanced® Energy) then defines optimised pumping strategies that are implemented automatically.

It uses SCADA and telemetry systems to read live data and issue commands to pumps and valves throughout an entire distribution system, producing the correct volume of water where and when it is needed.

The system operates 24/7, all the while cutting operating costs and conserving your infrastructure.

A holistic software solution tailored to your network

Aguadvanced^® Water Supply (it was formerly known as Aquadvanced® Energy) is a holistic solution, generating benefits across your entire network. These include:

Reduced energy costs: Energy is consumed when it is cheaper to do so or by making use of self-production capacity when it is worth it. Aquadvanced can manage any tariffs including spot-pricing and will react to changes in real time.
Reduced energy consumption: By using less energy as a result of a highly efficient system operation, our customers have been able to obtain a consistent savings of 6-8% in efficiency (kWh/ML), which is achievable even with a flat energy tariff.
Reduced production costs: When multiple production sources are available, Aquadvanced will operate those with lower running costs. This may depend on chemical or energy costs or external constraints as well as abstraction licence limitations.
Carbon reduction: Delivering water more efficiently will directly lead to significant reductions in the utility’s greenhouse gas footprint.
Event management / dynamic adaption: Aquadvanced^® Water Supply has a complete understanding of a system’s behaviour and automatically reacts to any events to minimise the impact on the supply service. Should unexpected events occur, such as a burst main or disruption to operation of a treatment works, the software reconfigures the system to keep the service up through alternative distribution paths.
Water quality management: Aquadvanced^® Water Supply will reduce the water aging system as well as handle source blending and sources / production smoothing to keep the quality parameters within desired limits.
Leakage reduction: Operating the system with the right pressure to guarantee supply service quality helps harmonise the pressure throughout the network, therefore, reducing the volume of non-revenue water. Calm network operation also helps to reduce pipe bursts. Improvements of up to 10% have been reported.
Operational consistency: Sophisticated automation ensures consistent operations that work to overcome challenges within standard operating procedures.

Aquadvanced® Water Supply proved itself to be a powerful means of ensuring operations consistency — steadying network performance, enhancing reservoir management and turnover, and thus improving water quality.

Mick Baker , Network Control Manager | Northumbrian Water

This really helps us achieve that and makes us much more efficient. This system contributes to our business plan objectives to lower our costs and our energy usage; it makes us a better, more efficient company.

Ian Badcock , Asset Management IT Projects Manager | Bristol Water

Why a holistic system-wide solution?

Point-to-point

Point-to-point solutions look to optimise a subset of assets, primarily one pump station to one or more storage tanks.
Produce individual pump station schedules, looking at the local picture. This operation is then repeated to produce a number of partial solutions, which may not combine efficiently across the full network.
These combined solutions do little to take into consideration the impact on production; e.g. all pump stations could start simultaneously when cheap tariff periods start, which can put too much strain on production.
Most or all savings are based on load shifting, making use of energy when it is cheapest. Due to computational constraints, there is no attempt to achieve control of complex interconnected assets.

Holistic / System-wide

Holistic optimisers look at the system as a whole, determining optimal solutions for each asset in the distribution network.
Produces an optimal solution for the whole system and considers all interactions of a network.
By understanding how the overall system behaves and the interaction of each asset over time, the solution works in tandem with the distribution network for complete system efficiency.
Savings are based on load shifting and enhanced system efficiency from the harmonious interaction of assets across the network.

Case studies

The implementation has yielded significant benefits for El Paso over the past decade. The technology has led to an average annual saving of 10% on electric bills and improved pump efficiency by 6%.

Beyond these measurable benefits, the system has provided the city with valuable insights into the behaviour of its water system under various demand scenarios. The technology's geographic visualization of complex data has been instrumental in training new staff and fostering a comprehensive understanding of system assets, including pumps, flow meters, pipes, valves, and tanks. This has streamlined operations, ensuring optimal performance and longevity of essential assets. The AQUADVANCED® solution has proven to be a flexible, adaptable, and consistent approach to managing the water network, providing the city with a resilient framework that effectively responds to evolving challenges and demands. The adoption of this smart water technology represents a transformative step towards a more sustainable and efficient water management paradigm for the City of El Paso.

The AQUADVANCED® suite is made for operators

The AQUADVANCED® suite has benefitted from many thousands of collective working years of experience by SUEZ as a water and wastewater operating company globally.

The suite is made for operators. For over 15 years the digital solutions teams have worked directly with operators at the front face of water company control rooms to make sure that the solutions work for them, providing operators with practical tools to make their roles and operations run smoothly.

AQUADVANCED® is built on a common database platform that is optimised for the real-time collection, verification, storage, display and analysis of data coming from multiple sources. Furthermore, a common data visualisation platform offers advanced dashboarding, reporting and data analytics capabilities across all suite modules.

Offered in the UK, the AQUADVANCED® suite includes:

• AQUADVANCED® Water Supply (it was formerly known as Aquadvanced® Energy), a real-time optimisation system for water distribution networks, proven to bring down energy costs.

• AQUADVANCED® Water Networks, an advanced analytics tool for monitoring water quality and losses in distribution networks in real time.

• AQUADVANCED® Urban Drainage, a solution for flood prevention, bathing water quality and monitoring, and environmental protection that helps optimise wastewater operations and asset performance.

• AQUADVANCED® Plant for both water and wastewater plants.