Water is the most valuable commodity on earth because it sustains life on earth. Fresh water alone is only 2.5% of the global water supply. Analysts predict we have currently reach our "peak water" globally.
Agriculture currently accounts for 70% of water use and demand.
Today the water industry has reached a $600 billion dollar industry. Estimates are north of $1trillion dollars beyond 2020.
Governments and the private sector priorities are:
1. Water Treatment
2. Water Management ("Resource Efficiency")
3. Infrastructure and Supply
4. Water Energy
Water Treatment accounts for less than 3% of water globally being recycled. This market is barely tapped with insufficient waste water treatment around the world.
Explosive growth and spending in the industrial and municipal market is being driven by China overtaking the US as the world's largest spender (Source: GWI).
Water Management will include technologies supporting "more crop per drop" irrigation, drought resistant seeds and crops, precision agriculture, "big data", smart metering and water efficiency.
Agriculture accounts for 70% of global water usage but over 60% of this water is wasted.
Infrastructure and supply this will include engineering, construction, procurement, consulting, pipes, pumps, valves, water and waste-water and sewage treatment utilities.
Water and sanitation infrastructure spending will require $11.7 trillion dollars globally by 2030 ( Source: McKinsey).
Water Friendly Energy will include wind, solar, geothermal and co-production of energy and water.
For example: combining power and desalination plants, CHP plants using alternative water sources for thermal power plant cooling and energy recovery from sewage water.
Water and energy are interdependent-with 90% of global power generation water intensive (Source IEA).
Power generated from solar PV and wind is the most sustainable choice, having the lowest operational and life- cycle water consumption footprint.
Geothermal power also holds out potential in a number of regions, as does co-production of energy and water,exploiting synergies (e.g. combined power and desalination plants, combined heat and power plants using alternative water sources for thermal power plant cooling, and energy recovery from sewage water, among others).
Finally, energy efficiency in agriculture and across the agri-food chain, as well as smart irrigation and precision agriculture can reduce energy-related water use (Source: UN).
“ water security is also the foundation for food and energy security and for overall long-term social and economic development. It underpins health,nutrition, equity, gender equality, wellbeing and economic progress, especially in developing countries but increasingly in some of the world’s most developed countries.” (Source: InterAction Council)
Joshua Daniel Mosshart BIO
United Nations Water
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