Water Management Innovator Leapfrogs into Wireless Power and Conservation

Water is in short supply in many parts of the world, including China, India, Australia and parts of the United States. Projected climate change could further stress the shortage of water. One entrepreneur set out to make a difference. Scott Williamson, CEO of Capstone Metering, LLC of Carrollton, Texas, developed an innovative system, the IntelliH₂0™ Water Management System designed to manage and conserve water. And GE's Ecomagination Challenge program recognized this innovative water management solution.

In our interview with Mr. Williamson, we began by congratulating him on winning the coveted GE Ecomagination Challenge Award, and receiving a $100,000 check. Background information is provided at the end of the interview section.

The Interview

Green Market Producers (GMP): Did you have any idea GE would be interested in your innovation—you are the innovator, right?

Scott Williamson: When we discovered that GE was hosting the Ecomagination Challenge, we thought they might be interested in a product such as the IntelliH₂0 ™ Water Management System, so we entered the contest. We were very pleased to be chosen one of the 2010 Innovators. Yes, I am the innovator of Capstone's product, but I attribute much of our success to my two sons. Since 2005, my sons contributed to the engineering thought process and helped work through the technology challenges. 

GMP: Where does the IntelliH₂0 ™ unit reside?

Scott Williamson: If you mean what is the status of the unit, the IntelliH₂0™ meter is a drop in, 21st century replacement for any existing water meter. After Capstone completes final testing and pilots of the system, customer orders will be accepted in late 2011. 

GMP: How did the IntelliH₂0™ design get started?

Scott Williamson: While we were meeting with the City Manager on a wireless consulting project in a small town in Kansas, we learned that they had just experienced the largest single day water usage in the city's history. It sees that an electrical water pump was out and it took four days to replace it. The City Manager had asked the citizens to conserve water, which resulted in everyone storing up water instead. The City Manager said to me, "If you could find a way to turn off the water meters remotely, I would buy that product right now."

GMP: How tough was it winning this award; was it competitive?

Scott Williamson: It was very competitive because GE received 4,000 entries globally; we were the only water innovator selected.

GMP: What was the influential force for development of IntelliH₂0™?

Scott Williamson: Finding out that the industry has not changed in over 150 years was disturbing because meters today are built around this old technology. Protecting our natural resources led us to look at a better way to monitor and control water. GE saw the value of the technology and the critical issues with water. The amount of water use is dramatically increasing, especially in the last several years. We have a limited supply of water. Over 97% of the earth is water, but only 2% is potable water. While we can live without gas and oil, we can’t live without water.

GMP: What were some of the unique challenges that you faced, and how did you overcome them?

Scott Williamson: Generating enough power to allow more functionality is the unique challenge, specifically how to harvest and capture the wasted energy.

GMP: What do you hope to accomplish with the IntelliH₂0™ system?

Scott Williamson: We hope to better serve and manage water conservation.  Municipal districts will obtain more information and have the knowledge of leaks, pressure, time-of-use, and operations of their water system. By saving water, we save the planet.

GMP: What is unique or your special talent that enabled you to do this?

Scott Williamson: We’ve done development and field projects for the Department of Defense (DOD). Having the ability to understand the matrix of electronics and mechanical devices enabled us to make them more efficient.

GMP: Where did you grow up?

Scott Williamson: In West Texas, where water is scarce.

GMP: What were your interests or hobbies?

Scott Williamson: I grew up spending most of my time outdoors, always fishing and hiking. Today, I find myself working a lot with kids. Recently, we went to Guatemala and began mentoring the children in the orphanages there. There was an orphanage that needed a water well, so we had it dug and installed a well system. Providing those kinds of services and putting a lot more back into our communities is the core value of our operation.  

GMP: Where will the first IntelliH₂0™ system be installed?

Scott Williamson: I can’t disclose the exact location yet, but I can tell you it is in Oklahoma. We are working on pilot programs with Honeywell that we will deliver in 2011. We’re thrilled to have two Fortune 100 companies working with us: GE and Honeywell.

GMP: Does this award have special significance?

Scott Williamson: It is a great acknowledgement after four or five years working on this technology. For us, it is a huge honor that a company of GE’s caliber would recognize this technology and give us an award.

Background Information

Problem: Municipal operations cannot determine whether they are losing water due to miscalibration or leakage, and so they could not manage the system's operations. Currently, no meter system has the ability to remotely read meter pressure.

Solution: Mr. Scott Williamson, Capstone Metering, LLC, together with his two sons designed the real time water management system that represents significant improvement on the amount of data that is collected and how the device is controlled.

Innovation: The IntelliH₂0™ Water Management System uses a unique integration of power generation, communication technology, software, and wireless power management. The water management system will help reduce costs as well as increase revenue and efficiency for end users and municipal operation. For more information on IntelliH20™, see www.capstonemetering.com.