Watt d'Or energy award for Eawag
14 January 2010
Energy savings can be achieved through sustainable management of water supplies: this has been demonstrated by the commune of Gordola in Canton Ticino, the winner of the Swiss Federal Office of Energy's prestigious Watt d'Or award in the “Society” category for 2010. Among those who contributed to this success is Eawag, which was involved in a number of research and consulting projects supporting the commune's efforts to implement a modern, sustainable water supply system. Bruno Storni, the member of the Gordola local authority responsible for water supplies, explains: “We could have engaged private consultants to plan certain parts of the system, as we do today with some success. But without Eawag’s expertise, the innovative approach, considering both the consumer’s and the supplier’s perspective, would not have been adopted.” On the evening of 7 January, Bruno Storni, together with Rik Eggen (Deputy Director of Eawag) and Hans Balmer (who supervised the Eawag projects in Gordola), received the award – which does not carry a cash prize – from National Council President Pascale Bruderer Wyss at a ceremony in the Hotel Allegro Kursaal in Bern.
Saving energy by minimizing losses
Eawag’s work began with an assessment of the current status and a systematic search for water losses from the distribution network. It proved possible to reduce losses – amounting to over 500 m3 per day – by more than 80%. As Storni points out, “That alone permitted annual savings of around 120,000 kWh in power no longer needed for pumping.” In addition, disused springs located above the housing on the slopes were reopened, reducing even further the amount of (ground‑)water that needs to be pumped up from the Magadino Plain. According to Storni’s calculations, “Preventing just 50% of all losses from Swiss water distribution networks would produce energy savings of 20 GWh per year. That’s 25 times the output of Switzerland’s biggest solar power plant on the roof of the Stade de Suisse in Bern.”
As well as saving energy, Gordola is now also taking advantage of the 250 m height difference along the water main to generate green hydropower, meeting the requirements of around 40 households.
Reducing peak demand
An Eawag study revealed that peak demand in Gordola (as in many other communes) was solely attributable to the sprinkling of gardens and lawns, and to the simultaneous filling of swimming pools. Peaks occurred only on a small number of summer days. With the aid of targeted communication and progressive charges, Gordola has already achieved a reduction in these peaks. Private pools can now only be filled at nighttime and according to a schedule. Individual solutions are being sought in consultation with certain major users – for example, a vegetable farm is being connected to the football pitch watering system, which is not fed with drinking water supplies.
Not scrimping - using water resources intelligently
In many parts of (water-rich) Switzerland, the idea of saving water still has negative associations. But, as Rik Eggen emphasizes, “Smart water management is sustainable in the best sense. It’s often possible for resources to be conserved without any inconvenience or any need to scrimp.” In Gordola, by adopting the measures proposed by Eawag, the commune was able to shelve a large‑scale expansion project that was originally to have cost CHF 15 million. A better solution was achieved with significantly lower investments. Eggen comments: “This is genuine sustainability because lower water consumption doesn’t just mean that less energy is required for pumping and treating drinking water, but also that less wastewater arises; it also goes hand in hand with lower consumption of hot water – producing domestic energy savings too.” (Author: Andri Bryner)
- Eawag Annual Report 2008: "Eawag consulting: millions of francs saved" [pdf]
- SFOE information on the winners of the 2010 Watt d'Or awards.
Additional photos; © Eawag; they may be used free of charge only in connection with reporting on the 2010 Watt d'Or awards and are not to be archived.
Bruno Storni in summer 2009 at the site of the new reservoir,
where a drinking water power plant is also being installed.
Bruno Storni at the new reservoir.
Reservoir II, Gordola
Filling of swimming pools according to a schedule helps
to reduce peak demand for water in Gordola, Canton Ticino
(photo).