Year: 2024

Physical climate protection is neither easy nor cheap. However, modern technology used in Germany may deliver far better results from investments in the future — also in Denmark and the rest of Europe. During serious climate events such as cloudbursts and flooding, it is crucial for emergency services to receive real-time information about the severity of the situation. Examples of such information include water levels in waterways, basins, wells, sewers, and more.

In Germany, Brunata’s sister company Zenner has entered into a partnership with the utility company Stadtwerke Schwerte, located in Schwerte (with nearly 50,000 inhabitants) near the Ruhr River, close to Dortmund. The background for this collaboration was a devastating flood in 2021 and a desire to strengthen preparedness and reduce damage effects in the future. The progress of the project is being monitored continuously in Denmark and other European countries.

“Cities across Europe are investing enormous amounts in climate protection these years. Our German colleagues’ project has the potential to increase the value of these investments, ensuring that money and efforts are used most efficiently. The solution can be seen as a climate cockpit that makes it possible to prevent and navigate faster and better through imminent floods,” says Kristian Voldby Olsen, CEO of Brunata International.

The purpose of the project is to make it easier to prevent and manage the consequences of heavy rainfalls and flooding. With ultrasound, the sensors measure water levels at critical points in the urban area. Data transmission is carried out via a LoRaWAN network, which is particularly suitable for many small battery-powered sensors due to the network’s long range.

The data can be accessed by the city’s drainage system in real-time on a smartphone, iPad, or computer. When water levels exceed a critical threshold, the responsible emergency services are alerted. They then take appropriate measures, such as removing obstacles like floating trees from pipes or bridges, laying sandbags, etc.

When the sensors were installed in 2023, there was hardly any water due to drought. However, data was collected, and benchmarks and risk levels were established. By Christmas 2023, the system proved its value to Stadtwerke Schwerte when high water levels reached alarming heights in the Ruhr River, which flows through the city. The solution made it easier to assess and handle the threat. Based on these experiences, further development of the solution is now underway.

Artificial intelligence joins the fight

The success is confirmed by new expansion plans for the municipality and its utility company. Throughout the year, additional points along the waterways and sewer systems will be equipped with sensors. The conditions in the city’s sewer network are particularly interesting. Even though the capacity of the sewer network is regularly calculated using hydraulic sewer network calculations, the calculation is based on virtual computer models.

All this data will soon be processed in an AI-based warning system. It is expected that this will contribute to significantly better predictions of where flooding may occur in Schwerte in the event of cloudbursts or flooding. Despite all technological advances, the increasing number of cloudburst events cannot be prevented, but the city will now be much better equipped to respond to them and protect its citizens.

“Today, we provide comprehensive solutions for measuring and controlling the consumption of electricity, water, and heat. We hope that the project can equip us with the knowledge that, in a few years, will enable us to establish plug-and-play solutions for climate protection,” says Kristian Voldby Olsen, CEO of Brunata International.

About Brunata:

Brunata is part of the Brunata-Minol-ZENNER group, which has 4,200 employees worldwide and local partners in more than 100 countries. Brunata is one of Europe’s leading specialists in energy measurement, meters, individual metering, and property-based IoT solutions and energy management.

The LoRaWAN® network enables Brunata to offer telecommunications infrastructure for tailored and smart solutions in the Internet of Things to energy providers, the housing sector, cities, and municipalities, as well as municipal utilities and industrial companies. The group has over 20,000 gateways — half of which are in Denmark — and more than 6 million connected devices in 15 countries.

Further information:

Kristian Voldby Olsen, CEO Brunata International, mobile +45 50 60 49 10, email: kol@brunata.com