The world has changed a lot in the last few centuries. At the beginning of the 1900s, cars were a novelty that you might see now and then. Today, highways and interstates are packed with so many cars that the average driver wastes 54 hours in traffic every year. The end of the 1700s marked the beginning of the American Industrial Revolution and we've let that momentum carry us through three more industrial revolutions, bringing us to Industry 4.0 today.

Industry 4.0 isn't just impacting the manufacturing sectors. It also has an impact on the infrastructure that allows us to live safe and comfortable lives in this modern world, including the water industry. What is Water 4.0 and how is it impacting the water industry?

What is Water 4.0?

Industry 4.0 started with the industrial revolution, then moved to industry supported by electricity in 2.0, industry supported by computers in 3.0 and now the Internet of Things in Industry 4.0. These descriptors show how manufacturing and it's related sectors have evolved in the last few hundred years since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution.

What does that have to do with water?

Water has taken a similar path across the ages, as we've figured out the best way to collect, clean and distribute water in the developed world. It started with Water 1.0 where we figured out how to import water and distribute it to the masses. 

Then it moved on to Water 2.0 when we learned how to filter, chlorinate and clean our drinking water. Water 3.0 was when we figured out sewage treatment and used it as a widespread tool to better manage our wastewater system. 

We've moved into Water 4.0, which will bring next-generation water systems as well as a new awareness that water is a finite resource. In fact, only 3% of the earth's water is fresh and drinkable — and 2/3 of that is frozen in polar ice caps.

Next-Generation Water Systems

Water 4.0 is going to change the water industry — especially where wastewater is concerned — in fundamental ways. Wastewater monitoring will likely become standard equipment in the next few years, allowing the water industry to keep track of water from the moment it leaves a residential home or commercial property until it reaches the wastewater treatment plant. 

Currently, rainfall does contribute to local water tables whenever there is a storm, but it's contributions are really untrackable. New technology — from radar tracking to advanced analytics programs — will allow water industry professionals to keep track of rainfall and its potential impact on water and sewer systems. 

Instead of acting reactively to heavy rainfall that might flood an existing sewer system, industry experts will be able to use predictive analytics to monitor situations and ensure that things like rainfall can't negatively impact the system or the surrounding environment. 

New technologies are also emerging for water filtration and treatment, especially for commercial properties. Not only do these filtration systems improve the quality of the water traveling into the business, but they can also be designed to reduce water use without damaging functionality or water pressure. 

This is just the beginning of Water 4.0 as we know it. New technologies will continue to emerge and change the way we look at something as simple as the water that comes from our kitchen sink. How will Water 4.0 impact the water industry as a whole?

The Impact of Water 4.0

In addition to new technologies, Water 4.0 represents a fundamental shift in our collective thought process. We've stopped thinking about our water resources as infinite. Everyone, from consumers to business owners and everyone in between has started to realize that unless we start taking steps, we could run out of potable water. 

Some cities, such as Cape Town, South Africa have already faced this reality. In 2018, after a year of severe drought, the coastal city nearly ran out of drinking water for its 433,000 citizens. They managed to avert this disaster, but to do so they found themselves restricted to using less than 50 liters of water a day. For comparison, the average shower can use up to 15 liters per minute. Imagine using up your entire household's ration of water for the day in less than 5 minutes. 

Digitization of the water industry will require existing companies and workers to adapt to new technologies, something that may prove challenging and expensive, but will be necessary for the long run as the entire industry starts to shift toward this digital future. 

Many countries are already moving in that direction. The German water industry, when recently polled, stated that more than 50% of the companies in the country have either started adopting digital systems or have a digital strategy in the works.

Water 4.0 could even include the trend toward solar-powered desalination that is beginning to take root in the developing world. These plants are essentially self-sustaining and can provide fresh water in coastal areas where it might be scarce. Even the simplest systems can provide 1.5 gallons of water every hour per square meter of solar panels.

One of the nicest things about Water 4.0 from an outsider's perspective is the fact that there is no official definition that details what we need to do to improve our water infrastructure — we're just making it up as we go and coming up with some amazing and out of the box solutions that will help ensure that we have safe, potable water available for everyone for decades to come.

The Future of the Water Industry

We're essentially sitting at the beginning of Water 4.0, so it's a little early to start making projections about what it might mean for the future of the water industry. That said, it's still an exciting time to be part of an industry that is growing faster than it ever has in the past. Water is one of the most important things on this planet and is necessary to sustain human life, so we should be doing everything we can to preserve our existing water supplies. Water 4.0 might just be the thing to help us do that.

There's a vampire on the loose, and he likes to leave the lights on like Motel 6. Whether you're at work, at home or out on the town, this vampire is taking a bite out of your wallet and harming the environment. But, there's no need to barricade the house and stock up on garlic just yet. This vampire works entirely though your electrical outlets and stopping this monster can be as easy as pulling a few plugs. Vampire energy is estimated to cost U.S. Consumers around 3 billion a year.

The villain in question is vampire power, also known as standby power and phantom load, from what is called a vampire device. You can also find it referred to as vampire energy, leaking energy, wall warts, standby loss, idle current, phantom power, ghost load, ghost charge, and vampire load.  The terms refers to the electricity many gadgets and appliances waste just by being plugged in (even if they're switched off). After all, what do you think your cell-phone charger does all day while it's plugged into the wall? If it's warm when you get home from work, then it's been using electricity -- even if it had nothing to charge.

­Individually, your rechargeable electric toothbrush may not put that much strain on the local power plant, but the big picture is far more troubling. In the United States alone, vampire power costs consumers more than $3 billion a year [source: Energy Information Administration]. Over time, many microwaves and televisions actually consume more electricity during the hours they're not in use than the times you're actually using them to heat up dinner and watch your favorite show.

How do you fight off the ravages of vampire power? In this article, you'll learn why this energy loss happens and how to slay it once and for all.

2016 the year of Free Clean Energy

The purpose of this guide is to provide you with an introduction to a series of devices which have been shown to have very interesting properties and some are (incorrectly) described as 'perpetual motion' machines. What's that you say - perpetual motion is impossible? My, you're a difficult one to please.   The electrons in the molecules of rock formations have been orbiting steadily for millions of years without stopping - at what point will you agree that they are in perpetual motion?

So, why don't electrons run out of energy and just slow down to a standstill?   Quantum Mechanics has shown that the universe is a seething cauldron of energy with particles popping into existence and then dropping out again.   Knowing that E = mC2, we can see that a tremendous amount of energy is needed to create any form of matter.   Scientists remark that if we could tap even a small part of that energy, then we would have free energy for our lifetime.

The Law of Conservation of Energy is undoubtedly correct when it shows that more energy cannot be taken out of any system than is put into that system.   However, that does not mean that we cannot get more energy out of a system than we put into it.   A crude example is a solar panel in sunlight.   We get electrical power out of the panel but we do not put the sunlight into the panel - the sunlight arrives on its own.   This example is simple as we can see the sunlight reaching the solar panel.

If, instead of the solar panel, we had a device which absorbs some of the energy which Quantum Mechanics observes and gives out, say, electrical power, would that be so different?   Most people say "yes! - it is impossible!" but this reaction is based on the fact that we cannot see this sea of energy.   Should we say that a TV set cannot possibly work because we cannot see a television transmission signal?

Many people have produced devices and ideas for tapping this energy.   The energy is often called "Zero-Point Energy" because it is the energy which remains when a system has its temperature lowered to absolute zero.   This presentation is introductory information on what has already been achieved in this field: devices which output more power than they require to run.   This looks as if they contradict the Law of Conservation of Energy, but they don't, and you can see this when you take the zero-point energy field into account.

The material on this web site describes many different devices, with diagrams, photographs, explanations, pointers to web sites, etc.   As some of the devices need an understanding of electronic circuitry, a simple, step-by-step instruction course in electronics is also provided in Chapter 12.   This can take someone with no previous knowledge of electronics, to the level where they can read, understand, design and build the type of circuits used with these devices.

This is a very interesting field and the topic is quite absorbing once you get past the "it has to be impossible" attitude.   We were once told that it would be impossible to cycle at more than 15 mph as the wind pressure would prevent the cyclist from breathing.   Do you want to stay with that type of 'scientific' expert?   Have some fun - discover the facts.

There are many, many interesting devices and ideas already on the web.   This site does not mention them all by any means.   What it does, is take some of what are in my opinion, the most promising and interesting items, group them by category, and attempt to describe them clearly and without too many technical terms.   If you are not familiar with electronics, then some items may be difficult to understand.   In that case, I suggest that you start with Chapter 12 and go through it in order, moving at whatever speed suits you, before examining the other sections.   I hope you enjoy what you read.

For years I've been hearing about fantastic carburetors that can give your car up to 200 mpg. But supposedly the automakers and Big Oil won't allow them to come to market because they'd wreck the industry. The people who tell you this are usually conspiracy buffs who offer it as an example of how the masses are duped by the Illuminati, so you have to be skeptical. But still I wonder: is the 200-mpg carburetor a complete fantasy, or does something like it actually exist? Do you have one on your car? Would you like one?

Here's the free PDF for 200MPG Carburetor Conversion hosted by Apparently Apparel and written by Allan Wallace, just for you!

NOTE: This is a big (57975kb) file so please be patient and allow up to 10 minutes download time depending on your connection speed.

Anyways, while that downloads, read what we found out about improved carburetors and automobiles that prompted the writing of this article.

1933 thru 1936 - Charles Nelson Pogue is issued several patents on his vaporizer type carburetors, and "claims of 200 miles per gallon" crop up all over the world. He never gets production off the ground and his carburetor fades away - But Mr. Pogue and his carburetor have been a legend in the field of fuel efficiency ever since.

More than 50 years ago - George Arlington Moore was issued more patents on fuel efficiency systems than any man in history to date.

The late 50's and early 60's - The Kendig and Fish variable venturi carburetors have some very interesting mileage figures. The Fish even gets into production on a very small scale - but for reasons unknown, both of these carburetors fade away over the next few years.

What does the future hold? Well, if you have the right education, it could mean an exciting new, futuristic career. These 20 jobs are worlds from ordinary and may surprise you. Check out some of the top careers of the future, learn more about new and exciting jobs on the horizon, and learn how you can train to be a pioneer in a futuristic field.

Jobs may be scarce today, but if current trends hold, pretty soon there will be plenty of fun, lucrative gigs. If you have the vision to start prepping now, you could be flying starships, reading minds for DARPA, or manning a fusion or free energy reactor. The jobs are coming. Feel free to thank us over lunch at the hotel you built- on Mars.