April 8, 2020
The severe drought facing Chile has revealed that Valparaíso is one of the hardest-hit regions, according to the report “Drought in Chile: The Deepest Gap,” prepared by the Amulén Foundation. This critical situation has allowed two regional businesses to stand out for their innovative solutions in water efficiency and access to drinking water.
WGC: Water efficiency in sanitation services
Water Grid Control (WGC) is a sensor that detects when yellow water taps are opened and provides data such as water loss, pressure, and measurement points (m³, number of taps opened, pressure, and functionality verification). This device was developed to address the problem of unauthorized water theft by tanker trucks, which results in low water pressure that hinders firefighters' efforts and overall efficiency, as a single theft by one truck represents the monthly water consumption of an average family.
Diego Reyes, an IT professional and one of the creators of the device, explains that when they implemented it in water utilities, they realized another major problem: “There is approximately 33% of water that is not billed to customers. This is mainly due to broken mains, water leaks in the streets, deterioration of the networks, and theft—an area that we seek to analyze and quantify,” he details.
To achieve the current quality of their product, the WGC team received support from the Conviva Challenge, a pre-incubation program of Chrysalis PUCV that, among other things, seeks to support regional initiatives focused on water efficiency. This platform allowed them to validate their business model, enhance their technical information, prepare their pitch, and receive support in their application process for the Corfo Flexible Allocation Seed Subsidy for Challenges (SSAF), for which they were selected.
A combination of benefits that allowed them to complete their pilot testing process in the field and from which they obtained interesting figures, "in the four months that the sensor was working, we managed to quantify a figure of theft such that it represents the monthly consumption of 119 Chilean families," details Diego Reyes, who adds that he is in talks with one of his clients to expand the use of the WGC sensor to peripheral sectors of the cities.
Remote Water: low-cost drinking water
The regional problem is also addressed by Pablo Cassorla from the municipality of Algarrobo, but with a focus on providing drinking water to residents who lack sanitation services. How does he do it? Through a simple and innovative desalination system powered by solar energy.
Remote Waters is a startup that its founder conceived in 2016 while working for the U.S. Department of Energy's laboratory. At that time, the agency, along with its counterpart in Israel, launched a national challenge to develop a low-cost and sustainable desalination plant. Pablo, along with a colleague, presented a solution that won them the competition.
Given the recognition, the duo decided to commercialize their creation. The first step was to create a product-market fit. This process allowed them to identify their target customer. “I realized that those with the greatest need for drinking water are people in rural areas, since most of them don't have access to the service,” says the founder of Remote Waters.
“The important thing about our work is that we developed a prototype based on the identified need,” Pablo explains. Back in Chile, the pilot project was successfully carried out in the town of Algarrobo. Simultaneously, and without the support of his American partner, he formalized his idea into a company to apply for a Corfo Seed grant, which he won. This success later motivated him to participate in the Start-Up Chile Footprint program.
After conducting another pilot project with a rural water cooperative in Santo Domingo, Remote Waters is now focusing on forging strategic alliances with municipalities that need to provide drinking water to critical areas. This vision will undoubtedly help the Fifth Region address the water crisis in a cost-effective way, with a positive social and environmental impact.