Australia Upgrading Grid Infrastructure Across States To Improve Water Conservation And Efficiency

PRLog (Press Release) - Oct. 8, 2012 - Water saving and efficiency strategies have become of paramount importance in order to counter Australia’s recent series of droughts and floods. In order to improve ageing assets as well as offset the effects of global warming, several Australian water utilities have recently been involved in projects towards the upgrading and optimisation of their grid infrastructure. Australian water utilities will gather at the 10th Annual Smart Utilities Australia & New Zealand, the region’s largest conference and exhibition for water utilities, electricity retailers and distributors from throughout the region, in Melbourne this 20-22 November to discuss these and other major challenges the industry is facing.

“In Australia, water utilities start mirroring the trends from the electrical industry at a controlled pace and face similar goals and challenges, which is why we created the Intelligent Water Networks track two years ago”, says Daria La Valle, Programme Manager for Smart Utilities Australia & New Zealand. “During this track we will analyse the challenges faced by the water industry in the region and will provide answers on how to overcome those through case study presentations of successful projects and solutions.”

“Itron, which has recently been selected to install its smart water meters for several utilities throughout Australia, will be hosting one of two workshops within the Intelligent Water Networks track”, adds La Valle. “We are very pleased to have them on board to share their extensive knowledge and experience on smart water meter roll-outs and related data challenges and opportunities”.

Topics to be discussed at Smart Utilities Australia & New Zealand’s Intelligent Water Networks Track include:
•   Drivers for intelligent water grids & end customer value proposition
•   The Water-Energy nexus
•   Intelligent water grid trials & new project updates
•   Innovative ways to capture, monitor, measure & manage data
•   Breakthrough strategies and solutions to drive NRW down and service levels up

Speaker Highlights include:
•   Ken Thompson, Manager, Water Quality and Non-Revenue Water, Yarra Valley Water, Australia
•   Andrew Chapman, Water System Manager, South East Water Limited, Australia
•   Garry Peach, Customer Relationship Manager, Water Corporation, Australia
•   David Brooke-Smith, Director Solutions Delivery (Asia Pacific – Water & Heat), Itron, Singapore

The 10th Smart Utilities Australia & New Zealand is the region’s largest conference and exhibition for water utilities, electricity retailers and distributors,  focusing on new ways to improve reliability, quality and security of supply in a cost-efficient,  environmentally and customer friendly way.

At the multi-track conference, carefully selected utility professionals will present updates on their latest project experiences, results and steps forward. International case studies from the USA, Europe and Asia will encourage participants to stay tuned with the latest innovations and successes. Forward-thinking technology providers and think tanks will explain how the evolution of smart technologies and smart appliances will have an impact on utilities’ current business processes and investment strategies.

The targeted, large scale exhibition will provide an excellent opportunity for visitors to get informed about the latest technologies and solutions to make their next steps more successful and to better prepare themselves for the ultimate Smart Grid.

Event dates and location -
Conference:        20-22 November 2012
Location:       Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre, Australia
Event website:     www.smartutilities-ausnz.com

For more information, interviews and media accreditation -
Marketing Communications: Marj Cuijpers, Clarion Events Pte Ltd
Email:    marj@clarionevents.asia
Tel:    +65 6590 3970, Fax:    +65 6223 9196