Q2 MEMBER MEETING RECAP – MAY 2016
May 12th marked the second Quarterly Member Meeting of 2016! The bulk of the meeting focused on the ongoing collaborative work between The Water Council and Mid-West Energy Research Consortium (MWERC) to develop the Energy Water Nexus (EWN). Thank you to Marquette University for hosting The Water Council, our Members and MWERC members as well.
KEYNOTE PRESENTATION: STRATEGIC ROADMAP – ENERGY WATER NEXUS
The main presentation provided an update on the development of the first ever Energy Water Nexus strategic roadmap, which has been championed by The Water Council and MWERC. The Energy Water Nexus is meant to define how the Milwaukee region can lead the nation and the world in the emerging energy/water nexus marketplace. The strategic road-mapping project launched on September 17, 2015 at Marquette. Since then, four additional workshops have been held focusing on the specific areas, including: the Energy Cycle; the Water Cycle; Prioritization of Objectives; and GAP/SWOT Analyses Planning.
First and foremost in these meetings was to define what the EWN is, a challenge in itself, as there is no current definition. EWN products and technologies are products that increase the supply of clean energy and water, reduce the demand for, and losses of, clean energy and water, and reduce or eliminate the interdependency between energy and water. EWN is a confluence and convergence of different technologies, users, markets, suppliers and policy.
Through the process, 6 market segments have been identified that really did not exist for the convergence of these industries before:
- Energy Cycle
- Water Cycle
- Process Efficiency Improvement
- Energy Efficiency
- Water Efficiency
- Cross-Cutting Industries
Market estimates across the various buckets totals approximately $218.6 billion, which is expected to more than double to more than $511.7 billion over the next decade. The Midwest is currently viewed as an energy efficiency leader, as it has a larger concentration of energy efficiency companies than anywhere else in the world. This provides a unique opportunity to be able to deploy EWN technologies into the marketplace.
Following the EWN progress overview, a panel discussed the opportunities specific to the Milwaukee region. Panelists included:
- Mike Luettgen, Senior Staff Engineer, Kohler (Moderator)
- David Garman PhD, Associate Vice Chancellor Water Technology R&D, Founding Dean, School of Freshwater Sciences
- HJ Dewes, Director, Business Development – Water & Wastewater
- John Bobrowich, Director, Market & Industry Expansion, MWERC
Common themes that were repeated throughout the panel were:
Strengths specific to the Milwaukee region:
- The concentration of champions of the EWN in Milwaukee definitely provide a strong foundation for the joint-venture,
- The rapid success and expansion of The Water Council provides a strong, established network,
- The collaboration between the energy and water clusters is unique, and has never been done before.
Weaknesses that can be improved upon:
- There are platforms that are not being utilized to their full potential, for example The Water Council’s Global Water Port,
- The fear of not being able to gain critical mass to actually emerge as this combined industry leader,
- The lack of funding to advance technologies in both industries, although innovations in energy are much further along than water, due to the lack in investment in water innovations.
In 5-10 years, where do you see the EWN?
- A clear, complete definition of the EWN,
- EWN is recognized as a regional strength and serves as a model for emerging cross-cluster partnerships,
- Investment and financial support are secured.
The main message to the audience at the end of the panel discussion was that all attendees should get involved in the discussions. The Energy Water Nexus Roadmap will officially be presented on July 21.
Water Council Program Updates
Elizabeth Thelen, Director of Entrepreneurship & Talent, announced Matthew Bednarski, PE, EMBA, ENV SP, at GRAEF, as the newest Co-Chair of the Talent Campaign. She also provided an ask for any persons interested in filling the second Co-Chair seat to contact her directly. She also introduced Water Council Partner Lead to Succeed, to highlight one of the water projects funded by Water Council Member Pentair, Project: Living Wall. Milwaukee Public School students collaborated together to create creative walls that provide air-filtration, relaxing work areas, and integrate unique water designs.
Meghan Jensen, Director of Marketing & Membership, highlighted new speakers and special guests for Water Summit 2016. Additional information and updates can be found on the Summit website.
Details were also provided about upcoming events/conferences that The Water Council will attend/participate in:
- IFAT 2016, May 30 – June 3
- AWWA – ACE 2016, June 19-22
- WEFTEC 2016, September 24-29
- IWA World Water Congress & Exhibition 2016, October 9-14
- View our Calendar of Events
Many thanks to Marquette University for hosting our Q2 Member Meeting, mark your calendars for our Q3 Member Meeting, Thursday, September 8, additional details to come. Click Here for available slides from the Q2 presentation.
Interested in joining The Water Council? Please contact Isaiah Perez, Member Services & Development Coordinator, at iperez@thewatercouncil.com
