Much of what information technology can do for the power grid, it can also do for water management. With the smart grid buildout, wireless sensor networks, software, and computing will be used to let utilities track energy use and identify problems in the network in close to real-time, delivering a more efficient grid that’s better equipped to handle renewable resources. According to a new report out from Lux Research, better information about water usage could save utilities money, make water management more efficient and provide one of the simplest solutions to the problem of water scarcity, which scientists have warned will be heightened in coming years by climate change and other factors, such as population growth.
As a result, the tide of water infotech is rising fast, and just as the smart grid buildout could be one of the largest creators of wealth in the decade, there are billions to be made in smarter water systems. Lux finds the market for water IT is set to grow to a $16.3 billion in 2020, up from just $530 million today.


Newsom said his first environmental initiatives were fairly easy. “It didn’t take much more than a piece of paper and a pen and executive orders,” he said, to lower city emissions 6 percent below 1990 levels by last September. Now, things have gotten harder and more ambitious.
The U.S. Senate is starting to look harder at the nexus between energy and water. Tomorrow, the
Cleantech investors have had trouble finding and funding efficient ways to make and manage clean water over the past few years, despite the fact that the water industry is 
