SOLUCIR

SOLUCIR

On behalf of the Dutch drinking water sector, Vewin has adopted the position that drinking water should not be used for hydrogen production (Sources & Quality Steering Group, Sept. 2024). This position derives from the urgent need for every drinking water utility to safeguard supplies of drinking water for consumers and other customers, both now and in the future. The ‘supply obligation’ in the Netherlands is enshrined in the Drinking Water Act. In concrete terms, it means that the relevant business parties must identify a suitable source using local tailored solutions for the production of green hydrogen (and for other emerging industries). In this light, it is desirable for the drinking water sector to establish a clearer understanding of the developments and possibilities regarding water supplies for the energy sector, and to provide guidance in this respect so that the interests of the drinking water sector are adequately safeguarded in this search for alternative water sources.

Analysing the socio-political landscape

KWR’s work package has four specific objectives. These are (1) to assess policies and regulations for a supportive governance context, (2) to develop a policy support package for EU and national policymakers, as well as local and regional decisionmakers, (3) to assess societal attitudes and viewpoints to understand end-user perceptions and acceptance factors and to identify acceptance strategies, and lastly (4) to develop socio-cultural propositions for societal legitimation of circular and decentralised water solutions.

Case studies

The applicability of decentralised solutions will be assessed in SOLUCIR’s five Pathfinding Studies, including the following:

• The Berlin Metropolitan area in Germany
• The region of Catalonia in Spain
• The Thessaly region in Greece
• The Flemish region in Belgium
• The South Marche region in Italy

The Flemish case study addresses rainwater harvesting and its impact on the centralised infrastructure. Rainwater harvesting at buildings causes revenue losses for utilities and can worsen peak demand during dry periods when rainwater runs out. The challenge is to combine the central system with decentral solutions into a hybrid model that is financially viable for water utilities and encourages customers to save water. The case study is done in close collaboration between De Watergroep and KWR.

In addition, KWR collaborates with the Water Research Coalition (WRC) of South Africa in a Transferability Study to ensure that results are transferable to developing countries and emerging economies. Likewise, lessons learned will be gathered from the experience gained in South Africa with nutrient recovery from urine