Win $100,000 Through Imagine H2O’s 2010 Water-Energy Nexus Prize

Got a great idea for reducing the energy and greenhouse gas emissions embedded in water? ImagineH2O is offering $100,000 to individuals or small businesses with a great idea for improving the energy efficiency of water treatment, delivery and use. Interested parties need to submit a summary of their project no later than November 15th, 2010.

Imagine H2O is a not-for-profit company with a mission to inspire and empower people to solve water problems. The company basically focuses on leveraging the power of the private sector by supporting socially and environmentally conscious small businesses. Imagine H2O does this by hosting prize competitions that allow them to identify the best, most innovative ideas and technologies with the potential to solve an array of water problems. They also offer an incubator programs to help competing entrepreneurs “turn their plans into game-changing real-world solutions.”

This year, Imagine H2O decided to hold a Water-Energy Nexus Competition in order to “identify promising start-ups that save energy in moving, treating and using water and wastewater.” Here are the “innovation opportunities” identified by Imagine H2O to help frame the relevance of the prize competition:

Sourcing Water

To provide for growing demand, accessing water supplies is of utmost importance, and this first step of acquiring fresh water is very energy intensive. Throughout the world, we mainly acquire fresh water by diverting surface waters (lakes and rivers) or pumping from groundwater aquifers. Another source of our freshwater is in desalinating saltwater or recycling wastewater, both of which have high – and often prohibitive – energy costs.

Distributing Water

Water must often travel over significant distances and elevations to get where it is ultimately treated and used. For example, in California, delivering water from the San Francisco Bay Delta to Southern California consumes 2-3% of all electricity used in the state. The State Water Project, which is responsible for this conveyance, is the single largest electricity user in the state. In distribution systems, there are multiple opportunities for energy savings, including pump efficiencies, leak detection, pressure management, and automation.

Water Treatment

Treatment for urban water use has significant energy demands. Further, as source water quality worsens and quality standards tighten, more advanced treatment (such as ozonation and ultraviolet radiation) will require even more energy.

Disposal

Collecting and treating wastewater for proper disposal or reuse calls for a great deal of energy. In fact, almost 30% of a wastewater treatment plant’s operation and maintenance costs go toward energy provisions. There are many opportunities for innovation in pumping, aeration, and solids handling to save energy the wastewater treatment process.

If you are interested in entering, see their page on How to Enter the Water-Energy Nexus Competiton.

Now, I’m pretty curious what ideas, technologies or business models will be entered into this competition. In the spirit of competing, I am willing to award a beverage of choice – be it beer, wine, coffee, tea, soda or whatever – to anybody who can correctly guess what type of innovative product will win the competition. It’s a far cry from the $100k offered by Imagine H2O – and you’d probably have to meet me in Portland to claim your prize – but at least it’s something, right?