A one-year study being undertaken by Abu Dhabi’s Masdar Institute of Science and Technology and technology company Xylem Inc. is to develop key performance indicators that will support the specifying and purchasing of efficient equipment in water and wastewater applications.

The work is due to deliver a visual tool that will make it possible to prioritise energy efficient projects on the basis of their economic feasibility and expected impact, looking at factors such as the energy and cost performance of both processes and equipment used in water and wastewater transport and treatment in Abu Dhabi.

Equipment such as pumps and blowers account for a large proportion of energy use in water and wastewater applications, and Xylem is one of the leading suppliers able to provide efficient technology.

Announcing the launch of the study, Vincent Chirouze, Xylem’s Regional Director for the Middle East and Africa, commented: ‘The partnership with Masdar Institute will enable us and government stakeholders to further understand areas of improvement for the UAE’s water and wastewater sector, in particular around energy efficiency, ultimately supporting the deployment of highly-efficient technologies and processes to help solve pressing water issues with sustainable solutions.’

The announcement follows the earlier launch by Xylem of its report ‘Powering the wastewater renaissance: energy efficiency and emissions reduction in wastewater management’.

The report launched a methodology for assessing whole of life costs and featured the use of marginal abatement cost curves as a visual means of identifying and ranking the most cost-effective measures. The Abu Dhabi work will also develop MACC’s, and area in which the Masdar Institute has experience.

‘Our partnership with Xylem will result in an increased ability to identify areas for improvement in the water and wastewater transport and treatment sector,’ commented Dr Steve Griffiths, Vice President of Research at Masdar Institute. ‘Masdar Institute has experience in developing abatement cost curves, and believes this collaboration is foundational to our expanded research efforts across the water sector.’

See: The water sector energy efficiency opportunity

See also: Investing in wastewater energy efficiency for a greener future