Water is an essential resource, but the way many companies process and distribute it takes a toll on the environment. As these concerns grow, pushes for decarbonization for water utilities have gained momentum.
Many water industry sustainability efforts focus on water scarcity, but while this is an important movement, it’s only part of the issue. Utility companies also produce a considerable amount of carbon emissions, and these substantial carbon footprints deserve attention.
What Is Decarbonization for Water Utilities?
Decarbonization for water utilities aims to reduce and eventually eliminate greenhouse gas emissions from the water industry. That includes both direct emissions and embodied carbon.
Water processing and distribution systems generate more emissions than many may realize. Global water utilities account for roughly 2% of greenhouse gas emissions — the same as the shipping industry. That’s because while utilities have relatively low transport-related emissions, they consume a lot of energy, most of which comes from fossil fuels.
Embodied carbon is another issue, representing emissions from the extraction and production of the materials water utilities use. Producing steel, PVC and other materials water systems rely on also generates significant emissions, so as long as utilities use them, they’re responsible for some of their carbon footprint. Decarbonization seeks to reduce these emissions, too.
Why Is Decarbonization Important for Water Utilities?
The push for decarbonization in the water sector is quickly gaining steam. At least 65 water and wastewater companies — including several of the world’s largest — have already set emissions-related goals. This trend stems from several factors, including a sense of environmental responsibility, public health concerns and financial benefits.
Sustainability
The most straightforward reason to embrace decarbonization for water utilities is to protect the environment. The world must dramatically reduce its carbon emissions within the next few years to avoid the most extreme effects of climate change. Given the water industry’s substantial carbon footprint, utilities play a vital role in that shift.
Water is essential for life, so utilities can’t necessarily reduce their operations. However, if these processes continue without change, the resulting emissions will limit the sector’s positive impact on the world. Decarbonization is a crucial part of remaining a global force for good.
Compounding this issue is the industry’s current room for improvement. While some utilities have almost halved their operational emissions, overall emissions and embodied carbon remain high. The sector has a long way to go to achieve carbon neutrality, leaving plenty of opportunity.
Public Health
Decarbonization in the water sector will also positively impact public health. As fossil fuel-derived energy emits more carbon dioxide and similar chemicals, these compounds can work their way into water supplies. Consequently, utilities make it harder on themselves to ensure clean drinking water by relying on fossil fuels.
Water quality may be the most evident impact of this sector on public health, but it’s not the only one, either. If the industry continues to rely on CO2-emitting energy sources, it will contribute to poor respiratory health. Greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere can be dangerous to humans, and resulting increased temperatures intensify natural air pollution sources.
Given these effects, water companies can contribute to greater public health by moving to cleaner processes. The resulting improvements will both protect people’s well-being and make it easier to provide safe water to customers.
Economic Benefits
Water utility decarbonization can also yield financial benefits. More consumers today are asking for sustainable products and services, leading many to back their beliefs with their purchasing habits. Decarbonization can help water companies improve their customer perception and appeal to modern markets.
As the threat of climate change receives more public attention, this trend will likely grow. Embracing sustainability now will help utilities get ahead of the growing consumer and business push for greener services. Failure to do so could result in companies falling behind competitors or facing regulatory issues in the future.
Decarbonization’s economic benefits go beyond sales and regulatory fines too. Switching to renewable energy lets utilities generate their own electricity, reducing their energy bills in the long run. Similarly, using more efficient processes can reduce ongoing spending.
How Water Utilities Can Embrace Decarbonization
The need for decarbonization for water utilities is clear, but many organizations may still be uncertain of how to pursue it. This shift can be challenging, but a few basic principles can help guide businesses to a more sustainable future.
Understand Emissions Sources
The first step in water utility decarbonization is learning where your specific company’s emissions come from. Getting a more detailed understanding of your carbon footprint will help you see which changes could yield the biggest improvements.
Gaining this insight requires extensive data collection. Internet of Things (IoT) sensors may be necessary to provide ongoing hard data on emissions levels and sources. You may also need to ask partners and third parties for their emissions data to gain a more comprehensive picture of your direct and indirect carbon.
It may be best to use a third-party auditor to gauge your emissions levels. These companies may have subject area expertise you lack, and using an objective, outside source lends legitimacy to your reports, helping appeal to investors and stakeholders.
Optimize Existing Systems
Once you know where your biggest areas of improvement lie, you can address them to begin the decarbonization process. Some parts of the carbon footprint require dramatic, long-term changes, but it’s important not to overlook possibilities for smaller-term improvements in your current system.
Significant carbon reductions are possible in many areas with today’s technology. For example, Saudi Arabia already uses solar-powered water generators to provide clean drinking water with clean energy. Installing solar panels or investing in wind turbines are other similar, minimally disruptive ways to optimize current systems.
Where zero-carbon technologies are impractical, energy reduction strategies can help meet immediate goals. Using IoT systems to monitor and conserve electricity or streamlining operations to reduce energy waste will help.
Address Supply Chain and Third-Party Emissions
It’s also important to remember that water utility decarbonization involves more than just your internal processes. True decarbonization requires minimizing emissions from the supply chain and other indirect sources.
Sourcing materials from eco-friendly suppliers is a good place to start. Similarly, water companies can create partnership programs to help all parties in the supply chain adjust together and help each other pursue their own sustainability goals.
Keep in mind that emissions can come from unexpected places. Increased digitization, for example, may seem less wasteful than manual, slower systems, but data has a significant carbon footprint, too. Working with data centers powered by green energy can help minimize these third-party emissions.
Plan for Long-Term Improvements
As utilities enact these near-term improvements, they should set longer-term goals, too. Energy reduction is a noble and necessary step today, but the eventual target should be zero emissions. That will take considerable change, but planning early and monitoring progress along the way will help.
Collect data on your decarbonization solutions and review them at least once a year. Be sure to look into emerging technologies and trends, too. This analysis can help reveal which changes are the most effective and where you can adjust to fill current gaps.
Decarbonization for Water Utilities Is Essential
The concept of decarbonization for water utilities may not receive as much attention as in other industries, but it’s a crucial step forward. The water sector must push towards a zero-carbon future to protect the planet, businesses and their customers.
When water utilities understand the need for decarbonization, they can forge ahead in an industry-wide movement. This shift will create a cleaner, safer future for all involved.
Emily Newton is the Editor-in-Chief of Revolutionized, an online magazine discussing the latest technologies changing our world.