Uses the FM band against water leaks
27.02.2024 - RADIONYTT.NO - Kyrre Dahl
Oslo Water and Wastewater reuses available resources for an innovative project. Nkom now wants input from anyone who would like to use vacant FM frequencies.
Photo: Nkom
After the national FM broadcasts were switched off in Norway, part of the frequency resources have been freed up. Oslo municipality has benefited from this, according to a press release from Nkom.
- We at Oslo Water and Sewage applied for legal approval to reuse the national FM band, and we were awarded a frequency permit. Now we use this frequency in a system that monitors water leaks on the municipal pipe infrastructure. We estimate that we will catch 100 leaks a year, saving a lot of water and time, says Jo Alexander Gjerpe, engineer and initiator of the project in Oslo municipality.
In addition to being a positive measure for the environment with a large saving of water, Gjerpe says that the technology reduces costs related to the maintenance and development of the water supply network.
- We no longer have to take large losses and leaks into account during planning, and with that the infrastructure becomes cheaper, while the development goes faster. Since we can more easily detect which lines are the worst, we reduce costs for line rehabilitation and can prevent pressure drops due to large leaks, says Gjerpe.
Nkom wants more people to take advantage of the FM band, which one assumes can have many uses given the good range that can be achieved.
- We think it is gratifying that the use of one natural resource helps to save on another. In addition, old infrastructure, such as masts and transmitters, can be given new life. Oslo Water and Wastewater has created a project that is of great benefit to society, and we hope that there will be more initiatives in connection with this consultation, says Gordana Lunestad, senior engineer at Nkom.
Parts of the frequency band are currently used for local FM radio broadcasting, and this use is not part of the consultation.
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