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Promoting
and improving its
R+D+i activities
FCC Aqualia is constantly in touch with
various agents in its surroundings to
promote and improve its R+D+i activi-
ty which is developed by its Innovation
and Technology Department. The Te-
chnical Department of the Company’s
Central Zone has also been involved
in the end-to-end water cycle as well
as the staff that provides services to
Alcoy.
K n o w l e d g e
From left to right, Jesús García, manager of ACAL; José Vicente Colomer, director of the ACAL Re-
search Chair; Georgina Blanes, director of the Alcoy Campus of Universitat Politèctnica de València
(UPV); Antonio Francés, mayor of Alcoy; Manuel Calatayud, manager of FCC Aqualia in the Valencia
Community; Enrique Cabrera, director of the Water Technological Institute; and Enrique Masiá,
former director of the UPV campus in Alcoy, after the presentation of the study.
ACAL, a unique company
The idea behind the project was sponsored by those in charge of the ACAL Research
Chair, Sustainable City, since the project fits in perfectly with its objectives: promote
actions aimed at coordinating those who have political and technical responsibilities
in the different local public administrations as well as those in charge of public service
water management, along with the research groups of Polytechnic University of Va-
lencia so that the Smart City concept is not a mere utopia and can become a reality.
In this field, ACAL (Abogados y Consultores de la Administración Local, S.L.), the
company sponsoring the ACAL Research Chair, is also a unique company in Spain
since its only clients are city councils and public administrations, providing legal coun-
sel, and financial and technological advice to these entities in all matters pertaining to
public services management for which they are responsible.
lTA, a pioneer centre
The Technological Water Institute (ITA, Spanish acronym) of the Polytechnic University
of Valencia, professor and doctor Enrique Cabrera Marcet, and his team, are deve-
loping the projects related to this investigation. Doctor Cabrera Marcet is a professor
in the Water Engineering and Environment Department at UPV and is considered an
international authority in the field of end-to-end water management for human, farm,
and industrial consumption.
One of his main lines of research is water and energy, showing that energy consump-
tion in modern societies is linked, in a significant percentage, to the capture, drainage,
treatment, and reuse of water, that is, what is known as the “end-to-end water cycle”.
The work on “Joint Optimisation of the use
of Water and Energy” is being carried out
following an agreement entered into by the
Technological Water Institute (ITA) and FCC
Aqualia, with the approval of Alcoy’s City
Council.
Professor Enrique Cabrera form ITA and the
person in charge of the study, believes that
“with the increasing concentration of popu-
lations in cities, coupled with developments
in the farm sector and in intensive industrial
processes, water has become very energy-
intensive”. He believes that this has a signi-
ficant impact on the cost of this service and
also aggravates the environmental impact
by producing greater amounts of CO
2
emis-
sions to air.
The reason why this study, which will be on-
going until September, is important is due to
the very few serious studies that have been
carried out on the energy-dependence of
the end-to-end water cycle and the actual
measurement of energy consumption. The
project is a pioneer one in Spain and in Eu-
rope, and integrates the city of Alcoy in the
group of Smart Cities that are concerned
about improving the quality of the lives of its
residents and protecting the environment.
Once the investigation has been comple-
ted, those who are involved will make the
results public.