The Energy-Water Nexus Bringing Together Different Perspectives

1. The Energy-Water NexusBringing Together Different Perspectives Water • Climate change is a key driver of water systems. • Current focus is water sufficiency and climate change adaptation. • Energy dimension provides new insights into mitigation potential in the water sector. Energy • Energy systems drive climate change • Current focus is energy sufficiency and climate change mitigation. • Water dimension provides new insights into how climate adaptation will affect energy systems. Charles Heaps, Ph.D. Director, US Center of SEI charlie.heaps@sei-us.org

2. A Few Nexus Issues • Hydropower • Cooling Water for Thermal Power Systems • Energy for Desalination • Water and Land-use for Biofuels • Energy for Agricultural Pumping • Energy and Water for Sewage Systems • Integrating Mitigation and Adaptation

3. Models to Support Nexus Policy • Rather than create new tools unfamiliar to both energy and water professionals, link existing tools that are already widely used and credible in both fields. • Provide insights to both groups as a way of starting dialogue between energy and water professionals. • Over last two years, SEI has been developing such a system based on its existing modeling tools: LEAP (energy) and WEAP (water). • Tightly coupled system where LEAP and WEAP run together and are dynamically linked: each tool can request data or results from the other. • Common assumptions on scenarios, seasonal/time of day information, geographic boundaries • Flexible enough to model a wide variety of energy-water issues. • Transparent & easy to use for a wide target audience, but powerful enough to provide genuine insights.

4. Long range Energy Alternatives Planning Systemwww.energycommunity.org • Integrated energy planning and GHG mitigation assessment. • Local, national, regional and global applicability. • Energy, emissions and cost-benefit assessment. • Fast, transparent, powerful data management, reporting & scenario building tools. • Choice of methods: simulation/optimization & engineering/econometrics. • Widely applied (1000s of users in 195 countries). • Used by governments, NGOs, utilities, universities, consulting companies. • Recent applications: • 2012: Energy for All: 20 region global energy study for Rio+20 • 2010: Modeling to support the Massachusetts Clean Energy & Climate Plan • 2009: Europe’s Share of the Climate Challenge

5. Water Evaluation And Planning Systemwww.weap21.org • Integrated watershed hydrology and water planning model • GIS-based, graphical drag & drop interface • Physical simulation of water demands and supplies • Additional simulation modeling: user-created variables, modeling equations and links to spreadsheets, scripts & other models • Scenario management capabilities • Groundwater, water quality, reservoir, hydropower and financial modules

7. Results Displayed on the Map

8. Linking Water and Energy Issues Groundwater depletion Water quality Unmet ecological flows Costs Limited hydropower & cooling water, increased energy requirements for pumping. Increased energy requirements for desalination. Insufficient water for hydro and cooling, even with increased groundwater pumping. Still insufficient water--further enhance supply with desalination. Electricity demand Energy efficiency Water Supply Energy Demand Water Demand Energy Supply Hydropower & fossil generation Wind & solar, less water-intensive cooling Water requirements for hydropower & thermal cooling Water conservation Hydropower energy & cooling water requirements Reduced water demands Fuel Use GHGs Local air pollution Costs

9. Status www.weap21.org www.energycommunity.org Beta version being tested: full release summer 2012 Charles Heaps, Ph.D. Director, US Center of SEI charlie.heaps@sei-us.org