Addressing the Water–Energy Nexus by Coupling the Hydrological Model with a New Energy LISENGY Model: A Case Study in the Iberian Peninsula

Abstract

As water is required for producing hydropower, and subsequently the water balance is changed for downstream areas, the linking of hydrological and energy models is needed to properly address the interactions among them. In this study, volume–depth-based water storage estimation models were proposed for individual lakes and reservoirs in the Iberian Peninsula using the 30-year Global Water Surface dataset and reservoir morphometry methodology which enables to evaluate reservoirs where data were not available before. The models were subsequently implemented within the new hydropower model called LISENGY that provides the first comprehensive assessment of the temporal and spatial dynamics of water storage, water depth and hydropower production in the Iberian Peninsula. The LISENGY model was coupled with the distributed LISFLOOD hydrological model. The seasonal and interannual changes in energy production were assessed for 168 studied reservoirs with diverse morphometries, which is unique. Conical, concave and convex regression reservoir relationships were distinguished, and optimized turbine discharge and power production were computed. A 10-year water–energy linked system for the 2007–2016 period has been established for the Iberian Peninsula which was not available before. The results showed that it is possible to connect those two models and that the timing and magnitude of simulated storage were well reproduced. The study represents the first step towards integrated pan-European water–energy modeling. Future climate scenarios and energy demands are to be fed into the linked model system to evaluate expected future hydropower generation and possible water scarcity issues.

The Role of Communication in Managing Complex Water–Energy–Food Governance Systems

“…One example of complex social-ecological systems research has been the work on water-energy-food (WEF) nexus systems. Scholars, particularly from hydrologic and physical sciences, have conducted extensive analyses in an effort to understand the connections between these three sectors [3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11]. However, research on governance efforts in the WEF nexus is limited.…”