Around the country, a new conversation is emerging among municipal leaders and utility executives as they explore the energy/water nexus. While Senator Murkowski started the discussion at the federal level in 2014, local leaders are just beginning to question the impact of the energy/water nexus. The water/energy nexus deals with the need for water to produce energy, and for energy to treat and distribute clean water. Water infrastructure is an essential public service in any city and is intrinsically linked to energy. Smart technologies and smart strategies for water and energy utilities are needed to address conservation challenges and form the foundation for a truly Smart City.
With the rise of the Smart City, Smart Region and Smart Country mantra, companies, organizations and cities are contributing to growing demand for all things ‘smart.’ The energy/water nexus is one area that can highlight ‘smart’ devices and strategies and long-range planning. As much as 30% of all clean, treated, potable water is lost before it reaches consumers, along with 30% of the energy it took to produce and pump the water and 30% of the chemicals to clean it.
Cities and states could also use water policy to address Clean Air Act requirements. There is potential for utilities to get credit for using cold water to save energy and reduce their GHG emissions. Many water authorities and electric utilities are already beginning to work together to share advanced technologies and integrate infrastructure development plans. These efforts could include a number of approaches, such as addressing data gaps, encouraging public-private partnerships and helping to share best practices.
On May 12-13, utility and municipal leaders from across the county will discuss these and other aspects of a Smart City at the 2015 Energy Central Smart Cities Conference in Charlotte, NC.
Smart cities indeed have a role to play in water conservation. In California, it will be interesting to see how Gov. Brown’s mandatory cuts are implemented by the State Water… Read more »
The energy-water nexus relates to everything along the supply chain, from production (whether energy or water) to transmission to distribution to consumption. Just as advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) and data… Read more »
For water and energy efficiency programs, there is no “one size fits all”. Programs will and should vary depending on local climate and geographical considerations. What’s appropriate for a coastal… Read more »
Roger’s comment about financing hits on how economic development plans can be used as a means to spur smart city projects. Unfortunately, the goals of “sustainability,” “efficiency,” and “livable environment”… Read more »
Each kWh of electricity evaporates 1.8 liters of fresh water into the atmosphere. In 2014, wet cooling of turbine exhaust steam at thermal power plants (coal and nuclear) consumed 3.4… Read more »
Let’s see, 1.8 liters of water at 2260 kJ / liter would be 4068 kJ of waste heat removal for 3600 kJ of electrical generation. So, 47% thermal efficiency —… Read more »
“Cities and states could also use water policy to address Clean Air Act requirements.” What a great idea …. I remember reading several years ago that it takes 4 times… Read more »
A few comments on cooling water for power plants: 1. Energy production accounted for 15% of the world’s water withdrawals. In the U.S. that number is higher (40%) as Jane… Read more »
Nice run down, Dawn, but gas that comes from fracking wells is very water intensive …. 2-10 million gallons per well. Wind and solar can provide very nice micro grid… Read more »
It’s hard to get around evaporative “consumption” of water, even when a once-through cooling cycle is used. Yes, the volume of water discharged will equal the volume withdrawn, and the… Read more »
Thermoelectric power generation requires large volume of water for cooling the plant and given that water for thermoelectric power generation is the largest consumer of water and that the water… Read more »
One overlooked aspect in this great conversation,beyond consumption by the power sector, is how water is currently priced and how it should be priced? It starts with… Read more »
There appears to be some new technology that is relevant to this issue. The new technology is a variation on mechanical vapor recompression (MVR) for desalination and for treatment of… Read more »
The water-energy nexus is a sprawling set of issues that can encompass many facets of city and state policy — as the thoughtful comments on this thread have highlighted. To… Read more »
While speaking at Energy Central’s Smart Cities Conference last month and then attending the American Water Works Association ACE event in Anaheim this week, I have taken time to go back… Read more »