Sustainability is the core – Shaping the future!

In an exclusive interview with Abegail D'mello, Editorial Assistant Gaurav Mathur, Business Development (Building Services), Grundfos India, highlights its company's efforts to spread awareness on sustainable environment catering to the evolving market technology and consumer demands.

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Image by ejaugsburg from Pixabay

Tell us in detail about your energy-efficient range of pumping solutions.

Staying ahead of the curve, Grundfos’ innovative solutions for water treatment and management are built on adaptive technologies concept. The listed customized water management solutions and technologically advanced pumps are sustainable and energy-efficient and are prime examples of innovative efficient technology.

Demand Driven Distribution (DDD): This multi-pump solution enables the distribution of water as per the demand thereby helping to address leakage. It is designed in a way where a precise amount of pressure is given to the pumps while also reducing the water pressure in the pipes. DDD helps in frequency reduction of wear and tear of pipes and ensures water flow is supplied only as per requirement thereby contributing significantly towards saving energy, water and operational cost.

S Pumps: These pumps are vital for strengthening the sewage system of cities by maintaining maximum efficiency, transferring raw sewage and pumping out sludge and other industrial waste. Features such as the SmartTrim help maintain with the efficiency while SmartSeal provides a completely leak-proof connection.

Remote management monitors: Remote management systems enable the internet-based monitoring and management of pump installations in commercial buildings, water supply networks, and wastewater plants. It processes and analyses data from intelligent pumps, sensors, meters and pump controllers, which can be accessed from any PC with an internet connection via a central server. If any defined thresholds are crossed, an alert is instantly shared with the personnel on duty. Furthermore, changes in pump performance and energy consumption can be tracked and documented using reports and trend graphs that are automatically generated by the system. This allows for predictive maintenance to minimise cost and prevent the wastage of resources.

Elaborate on your approach towards spreading awareness of water and energy conservation. 

Grundfos India launched awareness forums on Facebook called ‘Ek Boondh Pani’ and ‘i Save Energy’ in 2012 and 2015, respectively. The objective of these forums is to create awareness and to provide a platform for the members to share their suggestions, ideas and facts on conserving Water and Energy. The pages largely focus on creating a voice for the need for water and energy conservation, where we run monthly campaigns, including discussions, updates, useful tips and contests every month.

Elaborate on some of your innovation pumping solution that caters towards the rural areas, where electricity could be a challenge. 

To support remote and rural villages of India with limited grid connectivity, Grundfos India introduces two unique off-grid sustainable water solutions. ‘SQFlex’ and ‘CRFlex’, renewable energy powered off-grid solutions, will help pump underground and surface water respectively.

SQFlex: These pumps are primarily used in remote locations with limited or no power supply. They are powered by solar and wind energy sources which adapts itself as per the varying weather conditions in India. It is also equipped with a battery backup system that can store any excess energy generated and compensate during downtime. Its permanent magnet motor ensures energy efficiency throughout the product lifecycle.

CRFlex: Like SQFlex, CRFlex pumps are sustainable solutions used to pump surface water in off-grid areas. This solution can be used to pump non-aggressive, non-explosive liquids with an intelligent MGFlex motor for optimal performance.

With a shortage of water and energy in the country, policymakers are working towards innovative ways to address this growing challenge. Therefore, the availability of these products coupled with government incentivisation to encourage the adoption of these products will help these solutions go a long way.

Tell us in brief about your projects ‘Water2Life’ and ‘Sustainable development goal towards energy and water’. Do you have a particular number or goal in mind towards sustainability yearly?

We operate our business with sustainability as a core mindset and have developed our innovative solutions to contribute to the UN’s Sustainability Development Goals (6 and 13). We are focused on making a genuine difference in the world. Hence, our constant endeavour is to help existing and new customers meet their needs in an ever-more energy and water-efficient manner. We approach SDGs in 3 ways. Firstly, from a business opportunities perspective, we have identified specific demand-supply gaps for sustainable products and have been working towards bridging this gap. Secondly, from a risk perspective, we have analysed our risks to evaluate any damage to the environment and understand best practices that can be followed. Thirdly, from a community perspective, Grundfos has been collaborating with various stakeholders such as NGOs, governments and our employees through constructive dialogues and platforms.

Leading by example, we have successfully managed to reduce water consumption by over 34% and reduce our CO2 emissions to 31% globally, since 2008 and are working towards reducing water consumption and CO 2 emissions by 50% by 2025. Grundfos invested DKK 26.3 million in sustainability projects including energy-efficiency and renewable energy projects, which is expected to yield reductions of more than 3.5 GWh in energy consumption per year. We also aim to save 50 billion m3 of freshwater through efficiency and treatment by 2030 and reduce downstream logistics CO2 footprint from 83,000 to 70,000 tonnes CO2, in partnership with suppliers.

Today, 2.1 billion people don’t have access to safely managed drinking water. So by 2030, Grundfos wants to be a part of bringing safely managed drinking water to 300 million people. We also aspire to be climate positive by 2030. Grundfos invested DKK 26.3 million in sustainability projects including energy-efficiency and renewable energy projects, which is expected to yield reductions of more than 3.5 GWh in energy consumption per year

Water2Life is a testament to our commitment to creating an environmentally sustainable future. It is an employee-initiated and employee-driven program that works to bring clean water to communities in need on every continent. In 2013, the program wrapped its first 3-year project providing access to clean water to 16,000 people in Kenya, before making its way to Vietnam to help another 27,000. Since 2010, the program has received more than €600,000 in donations and has provided sustainable clean water solutions for more than 50,000 people. It is now launching on its third continent – the Americas.

Aside from making a tangible difference for low-income communities across the globe, the program helps strengthen our sustainable mindset and engage our employees in living the Grundfos values: Being sustainable, focused on people, and creating partnerships.

 

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