Energy Efficiency Opportunities in U.S. Cities

The United States Conference of Mayors (USCM) is the official non-partisan organization of cities with populations of 30,000 or more. According to usmayors.org, there are 1,393 such cities in the U.S. today.

During their 82nd Winter Meeting in Washington, D.C., in January, the USMC unveiled the results of a survey in which nearly 300 cities provided data about how they are deploying energy technologies to make their city operations and communities more energy efficient. The full report is available – Energy Efficiency and Technologies in America’s Cities – as is a related press release.

 

 

Among a number of key findings, the report lists the following areas currently targeted by cities for energy efficiency, along with the percent of cities reporting each; up to three responses per city were possible: 

• Public Buildings (83%)
• Outdoor Lighting (54%)
• Wastewater Treatment (21%)
• Water Supply (20%)
• Traffic Management on Roads (16%)
• Public Transit (16%)
• …

Wonderware software solutions help smart cities better manage their infrastructure operations, including their energy efficiency, across diverse applications like facility/building management, water and wastewater, and transportation.

Ensuring Efficient Water Distribution in Paris with Wonderware® InTouch® Software

Eau de Paris is the municipal authority in charge of the production and distribution of water in Paris and management of the city’s unique network of water pipelines and aqueduct structures. The water processed by Eau de Paris comes from 102 collection points situated to the west and south of Paris, with the furthest being more than 90 miles away, as well as from the Seine and Marne rivers. The ground water is treated in four plants, with two plants processing water from the rivers. The Eau de Paris central supervision station processes 20,000 variables of information from 120 local technical stations all over the city as well as from the Paris environs.

 

In 1995, Eau de Paris installed Wonderware InTouch to provide advanced visualization and monitoring of its vast network of water distribution pipelines. With Wonderware InTouch, Eau de Paris is able to easily and quickly create standardized, reusable visualization applications and deploy them across its entire enterprise. With unequaled device integration and connectivity to virtually every device and system within the city’s water system network, operators, administrators and management can more effectively assess data and increase productivity.

 

More recently, Eau de Paris decided to take advantage of the latest Wonderware InTouch upgrade and the changes included advanced video capabilities. The idea was to use detailed, large-dimension block diagrams of the installations that were created with AutoCAD and already in use by Eau de Paris. These AutoCAD diagrams were easily integrated with the Wonderware InTouch HMI, turning them into a powerful supervisory tool. The information displayed from InTouch on a large video wall includes the values of useful parameters for the control functionality, as well as other sources such as surveillance videos.

 

“InTouch provides our staff with ‘Hypervisory’ capabilities by animating the large blocks of diagrams from the HMI, and projects them onto our innovative operator management video wall. The displayed information provides details to effectively manage the city’s extensive water system.”

– Frank Montiel, Head of the Regulation - CTM project in the Information Systems Department, Eau de Paris

For more information, read the complete success story. Or, reference our collection of Wonderware Water & Wastewater Industry success stories.

U.S. Cities Beta-test Smart Cities Council Readiness Guide

Earlier this month, the Smart Cities Council announced that leaders from a number of cities across the U.S. are evaluating a beta version of the Council’s Readiness Guide. The Readiness Guide is a how-to manual for building tomorrow’s cities today by enabling cities to self-assess their readiness to innovate. Mayors and their smart city teams from Hartford, Dallas, Baltimore, Orlando, and Green Bay have been evaluating the Guide’s usefulness to determine the next steps toward transformation. The Readiness Guide, created by the Smart Cities Council Advisory Board and Partners, offers a unique holistic view of a city’s future – including the built environment, energy, transportation, communications, water, health and human services, and public safety.

The Smart Cities Council will continue to work with city leaders across the U.S. to gain feedback, followed by Europe, Asia and Latin America. The Readiness Guide will be officially launched next month to cities worldwide at the Smart City Expo World Congress in Barcelona, Spain.

For more information, read the complete news release on www.smartcitiescouncil.com. Invensys is an Associate Partner of the Smart Cities Council.

Invensys Helps Dusseldorf Waterworks in Germany Reduce Costs, Optimize Control and Improve Reporting

Stadtwerke Dusseldorf, the public works department of the city of Dusseldorf, ensures that more than 600,000 people have ready access to water that is safe to drink. The department’s system carries about 55 million cubic meters of fresh water to households and businesses through a pipe system that extends more than 1,700 kilometers. Their water comes from the Rhine River via three plants throughout the region. In the 1990s, the beginning stage of automation was introduced when PLCs were installed in the three plants. However, these systems were not synchronized or coordinated, and no centralized data collection or archive was in place.

The department upgraded and now the three waterworks and the new control systems are interconnected, operating separately and redundantly. Each station runs Wonderware® InTouch® HMI (human machine interface) software in a multi-monitor setup to visually display the operations. With this HMI, engineers view real-time conditions with straightforward graphics, alarms and trending information. Another feature of the HMI is its extensive library of standardized and customizable templates and objects. This enabled Stadtwerke Dusseldorf to keep most of the implementation in house and easily make changes and updates, saving time and operating costs.

A separate server runs the Wonderware Historian database and collects process data. Conversion of the data to Microsoft® Excel® is handled on a workstation loaded with Wonderware Historian Client software. Now operators have the reports they need for hourly and daily evaluation of production data, including water quantities, electrical power and water quality. And reports on cost allocation are quickly generated and sent to city management. Plus they’re documenting their adherence to water rules and regulations, especially those pertaining to drinking water compliance.

"Now we are able to create all required reports analyses and documentation ourselves. We are no longer dependent on outside companies to provide us with that information."
– Matthias Rammler, Electrotechnical and System Support, City of Dusseldorf Public Works

Stadtwerke Dusseldorf has now fully automated their operations, reduced operating costs and enhanced safety. Plant availability is up and maintenance is improved. The system is simple to administer and reporting is flexible, so the right data is readily available for better analysis and decision making. And, since the system is built on an open platform known for flexibility and scalability, the city can look forward to meeting the needs of its customers into the future.

For more information, read the complete success story here and/or access any of our Wonderware Water & Wastewater Industry success stories.

Wonderware Software Reduces Waste and Justifies Investment for Calabria Water Resources

For over 30 years, Società Risorse Idriche Calabresi (So.Ri.Cal.) has supplied drinking water to the people in the Calabria Region of Italy. The agency is responsible for a far-reaching system that covers approximately 6,000 kilometers and is comprised of 200 aqueduct systems, four dams, 10 derivation crossbars, 14 wastewater plants, 300 lifting stations and almost 1,000 tanks. In this region, water conservation is emphasized, but the challenge is compounded by the mountainous geography of Calabria and the remote location of much of the system.

 

 

Recognizing a substantial opportunity to reduce waste and improve efficiency, So.Ri.Cal organized a new department to tackle the project. The goal was to create a pilot system that would incorporate innovative remote control and automated solutions to optimize water production and better conserve this precious resource. From the beginning, the strategy was focused on finding the most efficient way to manage and unify this complex aqueduct system. The best solution would be flexible; it would prove itself in the pilot and then scale to the larger operation, which is divided into three macro-areas and ten different management areas.

 

With Wonderware, So.Ri.Cal. found a flexible, open and scalable software platform. They chose the software because it provides comprehensive capabilities, plus great investment protection. Not only is Wonderware known for its ease of use, but its independent, open platform will allow So.Ri.Cal. to expand by integrating any hardware, control systems and automation products on the market.

 

So.Ri.Cal. now has precise, real-time data on the lifting and supply network. They can manage events in the field and guarantee water and energy savings. With the great success of the pilot program, the Wonderware solution will be implemented across the entire system. 

 

"By the end of the test phase, the Wonderware solution will provide immediate ROI and justify our investment."
- Sergio De Marco, General Director, Società Risorse Idriche Calabresi 

 

For more information, read the complete success story here and/or access any of our Wonderware Water & Wastewater Industry success stories.

Long Beach Water Department Increases Efficiency with Wonderware SCADA Solution

Long Beach Water Department (LBWD) in Long Beach, California, is responsible for keeping the city's 487,000 residents supplied with clean, good-tasting water that meets stringent federal and state regulations for drinking water quality. As the largest groundwater treatment plant in the U.S., the department’s facility is considered one of the most modern plants in the world. LBWD also operates and maintains nearly 765 miles of sewer lines, removing more than 40 million gallons of wastewater per day from throughout the city and delivering it to Los Angeles County sanitation district facilities.

Carson City, Nevada, is a “Smart City” with the Help of Invensys

Carson City Public Works is responsible for taking care of the city’s water, wastewater, transportation, landfill, fleet, environmental, and renewable power systems. To achieve its goals, Carson City Public Works created an infrastructure that revolves around the capabilities of its people and the best available smart city technology from Invensys. The result is improved operator and managerial efficiency, increased situational awareness, and a high level of operational readiness. This short video shows how the city’s various systems are integrated together to create a smart city at the foot of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Watch video

 

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