Water technologyInterest in water technology and business grows

They say that water will be for the twenty-first century what oil was for the twentieth century. In Israel they appear to operate on this assumption.

Every two years, the Israel Export & International Cooperation Institute (IEI) is organizing one of the more important water business-related event — the Water Technologies, Renewable Energy and Environmental Control (WATEC) conference, which this year will be held 15-17 November.

Gilad Peled, manager of business development at IEI, says that about 200 groups representing potential investors, governments, and companies will be in attendance.

ISRAEL21 notes that about 400 water technology companies are affiliated with IEI, and that about 200 of these companies are already exporting their technology. The value of these exports in 2010 is estimated to be between $2.5 billion and $3.5 billion.

Most of these exports come from Israeli leaders in the field:

• Netafim for irrigation
• IDE Technologies for desalination
• Tahal Group for water management projects including desalination and wastewater treatment
• Amiad, which makes filtration technology
• Arad for water metering company

ISRAEL21 reports that WATEC will allow these veterans to present their technology, but that the event will also allow dozens of start-ups to display their innovations.

Peled told ISRAEL21 that he sees the industry split in two:

• Manufacturers of valves, filters, and pipelines, such as Amiad,Bermad, A.R.I. Valves, and Arad. “All these companies are traditional but all have very advanced technologies; the best technology in the world,” Peled said
• New companies offering high-tech management solutions, like TaKaDu for the smart water grid now installed in London, and water monitoring company Real Tech; and companies that generate energy from wastewater, such as Emefcy. A new firm, Curapipe, can fix leaky water systems using spongy, bullet-shaped substances called “pigs.”

Israel boasts not only many water technology companies, but also an incubator, Kinrot Ventures, which describes itself as “the world’s first fully dedicated water technology incubator.” Many of the water technology innovations that Israeli companies claim, were developed under the auspices of Kinrot, which is privately held by the Canadian Stern Group.

Peled also made these points in his conversation with ISRAEL21:

• Security technologies. Peled emphasized he was not talking only about security technologies against terror activities. There is a need to secure the water supply not only against acts of terrorism, but also against human error. One to watch is Whitewater, a private global company which, ISRAEL21 says, “pairs cutting-edge Israeli water technologies for water management, quality and security with municipalities seeking tailored solutions for guaranteeing a constant supply of quality water and optimizing the production, management, control and delivery of water.” Ori Yogev, who runs Whitewater, says that beyond security, Israel will be a leader in two main water technologies: providing wastewater for energy and reducing energy usage during water treatment and processing.
• Efficiency, cost. Companies like SAP, IBM, and Siemens are looking to use Israeli know-how to treat water more efficiently and at a lower cost. “They [these companies] are getting into this new gap and they use a lot of Israeli technologies in R&D for water software management,” Peled says.

WATEC organizers expect about 3,000 foreign visitors, and more than 25,000 local participants.

WATEC’s focus this year will be showing how water technology translates into successful projects and enterprises — both for the developed world and those at risk of severe water insecurity.

ISRAEL21 notes that WATEC is supported by the Israeli ministries of Industry, Trade & Labor, Environmental Protection and Foreign Affairs, as well as Israel NewTech - National Water & Energy Program, the Israel Export & International Cooperation Institute, and the Israel Industry Center for R&D