This week Valencia became the international capital of water with the celebration of WEX global 2022, a forum for worldwide debate on circularity. Within this framework, Water Alliance, the cluster organization of innovative water technologies from the Netherlands, organized a conference this Monday at the SH Valencia Palace Hotel, to gather ideas and share solutions in the field of smart cities, hotels and golf resorts.
Pieter de Jong, EU Representative Water Alliance, opened the day by introducing WaterCampus Leeuwarden. “We help companies and researchers all the way from idea to market,” he noted. The cluster has promoted projects such as EU Techbridge, where it has participated with organizations such as AVAESEN.
Next, Celsa Monros, General Director of Climate Change in the Generalitat Valenciana, explained how the Valencian Community is aiming for these types of projects. “Climate change is real and water is one of the main elements of this challenge,” she pointed out. “The oceans are warming and we are going to face water scarcity, extreme events and we need solutions that help us adapt to the future.”
Following this companies from the Netherlands and Valencia presented their projects. Ton Van Remmen, director of Van Remmen UV Technology, explained his UV disinfection technology project, followed by Nuno Vital from MTD, who shared temporary wastewater solutions for concerts and other big events.
Peter van der Linde addressed his solution ¡Adios Legionella!, from the company Holland Water. Klaas Pool put on the table its low-maintenance solution for recycling drinking water, Hydraloop, while Gerardo Vallen presented his company City Water, aimed at detoxifying and purifying water. Finally, Elena Zuriaga, from Grupo Gimeno, addressed some of the company’s projects in water management.
The debate “Climate Adaptation, The Circular Economy and Water Saving in Mediterranean Regions” was held, in which Carlos Boga, General Manager of the Las Arenas Spa Hotel, Bianca Dragomir, director of Avaesen, Celsa Monros, General Director of Climate Change and Teresa Bonet, Technology Modernization Services at the Torrent City Council participated.
Carlos Boga, General Manager Hotel Balneario Las Arenas, pointed out that he likes to learn from engineers and companies that are developing new systems to improve sustainability and improve awareness and reuse of water. However, he was critical of European, regional and local regulations. “It is not very easy to carry out implantations, because it is necessary to change them depending on the regional government”, he pointed out.
Bianca Dragomir, director of Avaesen, a cleantech cluster, explained how the organization has become a key player in the world of smart cities and renewable energies. “It has become a relevant network for the entire sector,” she noted. Meanwhile, Teresa Bonet, Technology Modernization Services at the Torrent City Council, stressed that sometimes it is about solving very simple problems that are very big for a certain population.
“Projects can be undertaken from a mayor’s office, such as a system that reduces the water in sports buildings and that prevents continuous water waste with sensors, for instance by showers which only emit water once it is hot,” she pointed out. “We have implemented this in two buildings and in this way we save water, but also educate our youth about the importance of water saving.”
Source: Valencia Plaza, photos: Eduardo Manzana
