A new study calculates that about one-fifth of all water goes toward the production of crops and commodities for export, part of a global phenomenon known as “virtual water” that researchers say could place pressure on finite water supplies in some nations. Using worldwide trade indicators, demographic data, and statistics on water use, researchers from the University of Twente in the Netherlands mapped the world’s water footprint, including patterns of trade they say are creating disparities in water use. According to the study, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, many desert and island nations are becoming increasingly dependent on water from other countries, as they import not just food products but the water needed to produce it. The nations most reliant on this virtual water include the island nation of Malta, ...

 

SDTC is accepting Statements of Interest from February 22nd to April 18th, 2012
SDTC invests in late-stage development and pre-commercial demonstration of clean technologies by Canadian companies in a range of innovative solutions across all industries that address Climate Change, Clean Air, Water and Soil.
CONNECT with SDTC Applications:
Applications@sdtc.ca & www.sdtc.ca/applications
JOIN one of their upcoming Statement of Interest Webinar Workshops: www.sdtc.ca/workshops
•         SDTC Investment Priorities webinar will take place February 17th 11:00am – 1:00pm EST.

•         Additional webinars related to preparing a Statement of Interest application to follow in February and March (dates to be confirmed).

 

Israel has earned a leadership status in the international water arena, but to stay at the forefront innovation must keep pushing forward. A joint project by Israel NewTech, the Neaman Institute and the Israeli Export Institute has been launched in order to map out the needs for new water technology innovations in the largest industries in the world. The preliminary results will be presented in the beginning of next month at a conference at the Israeli Export Institute. “Israel’s water sector must be very cautious not to rest on its laurels, but to continue to act to cement its leadership,” said Dita Bronitzky, CEO of Ormat, a leader in geothermal energy, at a recent conference run by The Marker magazine on environment and industry. Israel NewTech, The Israeli Export Institute and the Samuel Neaman ...

Graphic courtesy US DOE

Two reports released today by the US Dept. of Energy (DOE) show that the nation’s conventional hydro, wave, tidal and other water power resources hold the potential to provide 15% of all the electricity the US needs by 2030. The DOE’s new wave and tidal resource assessment reports represent “the most rigorous analysis undertaken to date to accurately define the magnitude and location of America’s ocean energy resources,” according to a DOE press release. US demand for electricity amounts to about 4,000 terawatt (TWh), or 4 quadrillion Watt-hours, of energy per year. Overall, renewable US hydropower resources account for 6%. The average lightning strike’s peak power is said to be about 1 TW. However, according to the DOE’s analysis, maximum theoretical generation from waves and tidal currents is 1,420 TWh, ...

June 28, 2012
8:00 am	to	6:00 pm

The Canadian Water Summit is Heading WEST for the First Time!

It will take place in Calgary, Alberta at the TELUS Spark Science Centre on June 28, 2012 where you can  learn how to prepare for the challenges emerging from the interdependence between WATER, FOOD and ENERGY. Gain the skills, knowledge and networks to manage your water risk, identify opportunities for innovation, and contribute to water sustainability in Canada.

The Canadian Water Summit was created in 2009 to facilitate partnerships between leaders from business, government, NGOs and academia to help realize Canada’s potential to be a world leader in water expertise and technology innovation.
To learn more about the 2012 Canadian Water Summit and to join the journey to shape Canada’s Water Future, visit: www.watersummit.ca

This is the second part of my blog on produced water (you can read the first part here) which will look at the market – the players and technologies – in some more detail.

Produced water is a term used to describe the wastewater that’s brought to the surface during the oil and gas production process. For conventional oil and gas (onshore and offshore), it refers to the water that already exists in the oil reservoir and the water that’s been injected to force more oil to the surface. In unconventional oil and gas projects, such as hydraulic fracturing (fracking), coal bed methane (CBM) and oil sands, it refers to the wastewater produced by the fracking process (flowback water) and the process water used to recover bitumen from the oil sands.

Produced water is a hazardous ...

Earlier this year Ontario’s Greater Peterborough Innovation Cluster (GPIC) signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Regional Development Agency East Netherlands to develop opportunities and advance research in the water technology field. Energy Refuge recently caught up with Lisa Saroli, from Ontario’s Ministry of Economic Development and Trade Investment Division, who spoke to us in the wake of International Water Week conference in the Netherlands, which took place in Amsterdam in early November. ER: In terms of strategy, what can the partnership achieve? LS: The purpose of the MOU is to share knowledge, experience and technologies in their respective jurisdictions to enhance our capabilities to address environmental issues in their respective jurisdictions. The MOU covers water issues such as source water protection and sustainable water use, as well as several other environmental issue of interest to both jurisdictions such ...

Photo courtesy Mining Artifacts

The potential is there to re-purpose abandoned open pit iron ore mines in northeastern Minnesota’s Mesabi Iron Range to store energy from wind turbines and farms, according to a team of researchers at the University of Minnesota-Duluth’s Natural Resources Research Institute (NRRI). Doing so would not only enhance the competitiveness of wind power, it would make beneficial use of land that’s been severely degraded.

Wind energy has been growing fast in Minnesota, thanks to its geography, climate and impetus from the state’s Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS), which requires that utilities and electric co-ops at least 25% of their electricity from qualifying renewable sources by 2025.

Thing is, wind power production typically picks up at night when wind energy is higher. Electricity demand is lower at night, however, and suppliers selling ...

GE Power & Water's outgoing chief sustainability officer, Jeff Fulgham, is headed to Banyan Water after more than two decades at GE, hoping to create a growth business by saving water for big water users.

OTEC is a technology that has been discussed and extensively researched until recently by the US government. Now OTE Corporation (@OTEcorporation on twitter) and Bahamas Electricity Company, announced that they signed a memo of understanding for the further development of the world’s first two commercial ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC) plants, sited in the Bahamas. OTE Corporation has been in the news this year as it fills corporate positions. With the announcement of this agreement, it begins its core mission to bring OTEC to the nearly 100 tropical regions around the world, where land-based commercial OTEC power plants are now an economically viable solution.

Tropical Islands

Islands present a special problem for electric power. You may have the sun and some wind, but these power sources are ...