From the first day I started this blog I had a topic category for Water, and one of the companies I was amazed to see the importance of water is IBM.  They have a youtube video created for Australia and New Zealand where water is treated as a more valuable resource than the US.

And News.com has a headline story on the topic of IBM, Smart Grid, Water.

IBM plunges into the 'smart grid for water'

by Martin LaMonica

Even as billions of dollars are being spent around the world to modernize the electricity grid, the systems to delivery fresh water are also in desperate need of a 21st century upgrade.

IBM is developing a portfolio of IT-related water management technologies, a business that it estimates can total $20 billion within five years. At a water conference next week, IBM and Intel will be forming a working group to study how information and technology can be used to improve water management, according to IBM.

The goal is to sketch out the technical architecture required to more efficiently use fresh water, only one percent of the available water on Earth.

Water systems even in developed countries like the U.S. are notoriously outdated, with faulty pipes--some of them still made of wood--result in 25 percent to 45 percent lost water. That means high-tech approaches, such as using sensors to gauge water quality, are a tough sell to cash-strapped municipalities, most of which are more concerned with maintaining the basic infrastructure.

IBM is betting, though, that fresh water will have more value attached to it from the public, governments, and corporations.

If you are looking for alternatives to an IBM army of consultants for water solutions.  I have a post I wrote about OSIsoft’s solution for power plants.

Monitoring Water Use at a Power Station

I just blogged about water use at a electric power plant.  I mentioned the article to OSIsoft’s Martin Otterson, and he pointed me to a solution for measuring water use at power plant.

Pin-pointing water usage

April 2009

Emerson’s Smart Wireless technology is helping E.ON UK to accurately monitor and measure treated water usage, thus allowing trending and analysis to formulate target values at its Kingsnorth dual-fired power station. Using Emerson’s Rosemount wireless transmitters, E.ON is now able to collect flow measurement data from new flowmeters installed throughout the turbine hall. The self-organising wireless network delivers the data for trending in an OSIsoft PI historian which helps personnel monitor water usage within the system.

Solution evaluation
E.ON Kingsnorth, a 1940 MW generating facility located on the Medway Estuary in Kent needed a solution to monitor and measure water usage within its main plant. They decided to install new non-intrusive ultrasonic flowmeters to carry out this task. The high cost of wiring associated with a conventional cabled solution and a desire to embrace the very latest networking technology led E.ON to evaluate wireless technologies that could meet their needs.
“E.ON is keen to adopt the very latest technology to help improve productivity, efficiency and availability, and wireless technology provides the ideal networking solution to access the flow measurement data from the turbine building without having to install new cabling," said Chet Mistry, team leader, E.ON UK.

Emerson’s wireless transmitters provide access to flow readings from non-intrusive ultrasonic flowmeters

Found this Australia study on “water requirements of nuclear power stations”

Here is the conclusion.

Per megawatt existing nuclear power stations use and consume more water than power stations using other fuel sources. Depending on the cooling technology utilised, the water requirements for a nuclear power station can vary between 20 to 83 per cent more than for other power stations.

If you are curious on how much water gets used in power generation you can look at this chart.

It is great to see more people talking about water in data center discussions, and I am glad I created a category for water.

Here is a NYtimes op-ed article about making clean water sexy.

Clean, Sexy Water

By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF

Published: July 11, 2009

People always ask: What can I do to make a difference?

So many people in poor countries desperately need assistance. So many people in rich countries would like to help but fear their donations would line the pocket of a corrupt official or be lost in an aid bureaucracy. The result is a short circuit, leaving both sides unfulfilled.

That’s where Scott Harrison comes in.

Five years ago, Mr. Harrison was a nightclub promoter in Manhattan who spent his nights surrounded by friends in a blur of alcohol, cocaine and marijuana. He lived in a luxurious apartment and drove a BMW — but then on a vacation in South America he underwent a spiritual crisis.

“I realized I was the most selfish, sycophantic and miserable human being,” he recalled. “I was the worst person I knew.”

The best part of the article was the three techniques Scott Harrison uses for improving the transparency of where the money goes.

So what’s his secret? Mr. Harrison’s success seems to depend on three precepts:

First, ensure that every penny from new donors will go to projects in the field. He accomplishes this by cajoling his 500 most committed donors to cover all administrative costs.

Second, show donors the specific impact of their contributions. Mr. Harrison grants naming rights to wells. He posts photos and G.P.S. coordinates so donors can look up their wells on Google Earth. And in September, Mr. Harrison is going to roll out a new Web site that will match even the smallest donation to a particular project that can be tracked online.

Third, leap into new media and social networks. This spring, charity: water raised $250,000 through a “Twestival” — a series of meetings among followers on Twitter. Last year, it raised $965,000 by asking people with September birthdays to forgo presents and instead solicit cash to build wells in Ethiopia. The campaign went viral on the Web, partly because Mr. Harrison invests in clever, often sassy videos.

I am actually on vacation right now, but read this article and minutes after reading it gave me some ideas on how to change some data center metrics.

I’ll be with a bunch of data center people on Weds – Fri, and in a big data center crowd at Data Center Dynamics SF. So, I may test some of the ideas then blog, or maybe blog the ideas then test it more and write about the feedback.

Even though I started out as an engineer, I’ve learned the value of good marketing and how it is needed to drive change.

“Scott is an important marketing machine, lifting one of the most critical issues of our time in a way that is sexy and incredibly compelling — that’s his gift,” said Jacqueline Novogratz, head of the Acumen Fund, which invests in poor countries to overcome poverty.

Here is information on Scott and his staff.

scott harrison.
founder, president.
In 2004, Scott served a year as a photojournalist on a Mercy Ship in Liberia, West Africa. There he became familiar with the life-threatening effects of contaminated water and upon moving back to his home in New York City in 2006, he founded charity: water.
twitter: @scottharrison

carrie sanders.
director of development.
Prior to joining charity: water, Carrie worked in corporate philanthropy, communications, and nonprofit fundraising. She has a Master's degree in Arts Administration from Columbia University and Bachelor's degree in Human & Organizational Development from Vanderbilt.
twitter: @carriesanders

phillip william crosby.
special events coordinator.
Phillip loved charity: water long before he met us. All that we really knew of him is that he liked bicycles, music, books, and social justice. It is believed (mostly by himself) that he can do just about anything. Judging by his performance, we're starting to agree.
twitter: @phillipcrosby

becky straw.
water projects director.
A graduate of Columbia University’s School of Social Work, Becky focused her Master’s degree on International Social Welfare and Social Enterprise Administration. Prior to coming to charity: water, she interned at UNICEF’s Division of Water, Environment and Sanitation.
twitter: @beckystraw

lane wood.
Water for Schools program director.
Lane has been connected with charity: water since the beginning, and has finally jumped on board full time. He’s worked in television and in churches, has a degree in Music Business, and loves being back in NYC and part of the charity: water team.
twitter: @lanewood

robin jones.
accounting.
From cocktail parties to broken down Land Rovers on jungle roads, Robin has been just about everywhere. With a B.A. in business administration, we're glad she's just as comfortable here in our soho office as she is in Africa.
twitter: @robinisajones

nicky yates.
executive assistant / volunteer coordinator.
Nicky received her Master's degree in Psychology from NYU in 2007. She left the New York County District Attorney's Office as a Child Victim Specialist in 2007 to join the charity: water staff. Her passion for international aid was sparked after spending time in Namibia and Kazakhstan.
twitter: @nickyyates

viktoria alexeeva.
director of design and branding.
Vik attended the School of Visual Arts and began her career at Fad, an NYC design house. For two years she worked on ad campaigns for Honda, Coke, AmEx and many other brands. She left the for-profit world in 2007 to come on full time as charity: water brand manager and designer.
twitter: @vikalexeeva

chris schomaker.
web developer.
Chris didn't think twice about packing a suitcase, selling all his stuff, and moving across the country to come work for charity: water. With degrees in computer and electrical engineering and a love for his work, Chris is making some major improvements to the charity: water website.
twitter: @cschomaker

evan slusher.
operations.
Evan attended the University of South Florida and has a resume ranging from acute care physical therapy to stage production and promotion. He has experience in a little bit of everything, which works out perfectly for the operations of a growing organization.
twitter: @evanslusher

erica brooks.
communications assistant.
Beginning as a volunteer, Erica soon found herself attending to the thousands of web, email and phone inquiries pouring into the office. With degrees in Philosophy, Anthropology and Global Affairs from BU and NYU, she couldn't think of a better way to spend her time than helping charity: water help the world.
twitter: @eibrooks

alison warner.
CPA.
A certified public accountant by trade, Alison holds a degree from Lehigh University and a lifelong passion for international travel. In addition to her work in public accounting and in the private sector, Alison has gained valued exposure working on a non-profit foundation with assets in excess of $40m.

DataCenterKnowledge has a post on new recycled water for Microsoft’s Data Center in Quincy, WA.

Quincy Plans Recycled Water for Microsoft

June 15th, 2009 : Rich Miller

The city of Quincy, Washington is spending millions of dollars to build a system to supply recycled water for huge data centers operated by Microsoft Corp., Yahoo, Intuit and Sabey Corp. The system will allow Quincy to shift the data centers’ water requirements to a separate “gray water” system rather than depleting the city’s potable water supply. 

The water recycling program is similar to one implemented in San Antonio, which Microsoft cited as a key factor in its choice of the city for a $500 million data center. It reflects a trend in which municipalities and data center operators are working to minimize the impact of these facilities on local water systems.

The Quincy project, which will treat up to 5 million gallons of water a day, will cost $9 million. The first phase is being built with a $4.5 million grant from the state, according to the Wenatchee World, which said the city has appealed to federal lawmakers for the rest of the money.

The original post is in Wenatchee World.

Will Lacey, a Yahoo site operations technician from Dallas works on an underground wire system in the Yahoo data center in Quincy. (World file photo/Kathryn Stevens)

Data centers keep economy humming

By K.C. Mehaffey
World staff writer
Posted June 13, 2009

QUINCY — Two years after Microsoft began operating a data center in Quincy, the city is in the midst of a multi-million-dollar project to bring recycled water to the facility.

Eventually, the city wants to provide recycled water to the three data centers there, and any others that sprout up.

Microsoft’s 474,000-square-foot building on 75 acres is one of three massive data centers in Quincy.

Yahoo and Intuit also bought land and built large server farms. This winter, Sabey Corp. bought about 40 acres of land in Quincy and will break ground this summer on a data center. In May, Sabey spokesman John Ford said two 286,000-square-foot buildings and one 125,000-square-foot building are planned for the site.

This is great to see people making recycled water infrastructure as part of data center requirements.

Two years ago I asked questions about the water use of Microsoft’s Quincy data center and back then, no one knew the answer. the common response is “Why are you asking?” 

Now I know it is a lot easier to get answer to this question.