Utility Week

32 | FEBRUARY 2021 | UTILITY WEEK Operational Excellence Innovation in the face of challenges has marked the utilities sector's response to Covid-19 over the past year. Util- ity Week's Operational Excellence hub seeks to highlight best practice in finding creative solutions to common problems. Here are some of the projects we have covered over the past month. UKPN works with local councils to fill EV charging blackspots UK Power Networks (UKPN) has launched a new pilot project in partnership with five local authorities to fill electric charg- ing blackspots in their areas. The councils will work with UKPN to identify areas that have yet to install enough chargers or would benefit from improved air quality as part of the Charge Collective project funded under the Net- work Innovation Allowance. UKPN will then hold a competition in which chargepoint operators bid to install and operate chargers in these blackspots under contract with the par- ticipating councils. https://utilityweek.co.uk/ukpn-works- with-local-councils-to-fill-ev-charging- blackspots/ Yorkshire uses cloud system to speed up sewer repairs Yorkshire Water has begun a smarter sewer inspection trial that sees its teams collaborating more and using a cloud- based platform to share information. Technicians can upload images and videos for their colleagues and senior engineers to access remotely and solve problems faster. https://utilityweek.co.uk/yorkshire-uses- cloud-system-to-speed-up-sewer-repairs/ East of England water brokering trial begins A regional pilot in the east of England to share and trade water has launched between Anglian, Essex and Suffolk, and Wheatley Solutions as a prototype for a national model. The online Watersource system shows users the water bodies, sources, statuses and active licences in a catchment area. Abstractors can advertise if they need water, want to share or trade water with other users with or without abstraction licences. https://utilityweek.co.uk/east-of-england- water-brokering-trial-begins/ Opinion T he recent publication of the UK's 2050 Water Innovation Strategy was an exciting moment for the water industry. It came at a time when the whole sector was having to step up to deliver innovative and agile responses to the pandemic. We have seen what the sector can do, but we will need to supercharge our efforts to deal with the big challenges we all face. The sector has a lot further to go to build the partnerships both big and small that are needed to drive transforma- tional change. We are now at a pivotal point in the sector's history and its future. I believe 2021 will be the year of innova- tion for the water industry. It will be a year that will see the sector fully embrace a new way of working that encourages an abundance of open collaboration and helps drive transformational change that benefits not just customers, but wider society and the environment. The sector strategy is a key part of that journey, helping kickstart our ambition alongside Ofwat's Innovation Fund and other innovation initiatives. The challenge As a sector, we have long wrestled with how to solve the big and complex issues that now demand urgent responses. Innovation, in all its forms, will be a vital part of the solution. The 2030 route map Water UK set out detailed solutions on how the sector can reduce its carbon emissions, and innovation is one of the main ways to further that ambition. Equally, improving the ecological status of our water environments and mak- ing ourselves more resilient to risks can be unlocked through collaborative working, innovating together in partnership with other organisations. This isn't just the need for new technologies and infrastructure, but an opportunity to pioneer new processes, partnerships and ways of thinking that have not yet been fully explored in the water sector. We also can't overlook the opportunities presented by digital and open data. It is already being used for the greater good in other sectors, helping vulnerable customers as well as others. In fact, in financial services, open banking has even been used to create solutions that protect those with dementia or mental health problems from fraud. Ofwat's John Russell explains why the next 12 months will see the water sector fully embrace new ways of working that foster innovation and collaboration. Op Ex Round-up Innovation in water: Why 2021 will be a turning point "We hope the competitions will also lead to new and long-lasting partnerships and culture change that live beyond these initiatives."

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