Shifting Scarcities? The Energy Intensity of Water Supply Alternatives in the Mass Tourist Resort of Benidorm, Spain

Abstract

The energy intensity of water-'energy (electricity)-for-water'-is calculated for Benidorm, a mass tourism resort in the Spanish Mediterranean coast, where the urban water cycle has evolved in response to a series of episodes of water stress. The analysis is based on primary data compiled from various actors involved in the urban water cycle encompassing water extraction, end uses, and wastewater treatment, including tertiary treatment. The results provide one of the first analyses of the relations between energy and water in a mass tourist center, which may be of potential interest for other tourist areas. It is estimated that a total of 109 GWh/year of electricity is required to operate the water cycle of Benidorm. About 4% of total energy use in Benidorm is dedicated to extracting, transporting, and treating water. The most energy-intensive stage is represented by end uses, which accounts for 20% of the total energy use in Benidorm when the energy required for water pumping and hot water use is considered. Additionally, energy intensity for water extraction was estimated for normal, wet, and two dry year scenarios. In comparison with the normal scenario, energy intensity is six times larger when desalinated water is incorporated during a dry year, whereas the emergency interbasin water transfer resulted in a more moderate increase in energy intensity. While treated wastewater and emergency water transfers appear to be a more convenient solution in energy terms, the strong impulse given to desalination in Spain is forcing local water authorities towards the use of a resource that is much more energy intensive, although, on the other hand, much less dependent on the vagaries of climate. In light of recent technological and managerial developments, the Benidorm case illuminates the challenges appearing in the analysis of the water-energy nexus, especially the fact that scarcity may be transferred from water to energy.

The Hydrosocial Cycle in Coastal Tourist Destinations in Alicante, Spain: Increasing Resilience to Drought

“…It has been possible by means of remote control and smart meters [49,51]. Furthermore, hotels in Benidorm have incorporated various measures aimed at reducing water consumption, such as awareness campaigns for clients and employees and technical improvements in bathrooms, kitchens, and swimming pools [40,52]. Evidence provided by researches conducted in the study area regarding the evolution of water consumption in the hotels of Benidorm appears to be somewhat contradictory, at least for the period included in the analysis.…”

“…In many cases, hotel renovation processes and state-aid programmes have helped make this renovation possible. The result has been a reduction in the consumption of water and electricity [24,52] which has favoured a reduction of the annual running costs of the hotels.…”

Water Metabolism in Tourist Destinations in Coastal Towns in Alicante (Spain): Actions to Increase Resilience to Drought

“…Benidorm have incorporated various measures aimed at reducing water consumption, such as awareness campaigns for clients and employees and technical improvements in bathrooms, kitchens, and swimming pools [39]. Similar actions have been carried out in hotels in the Costa Brava and the Balearic Islands [40,41].…”

“…In many cases, hotel renovation processes and state aid programmes have helped make this renovation possible. And the result has been a reduction in the consumption of water and electricity [18,39] which has favoured a reduction of the annual running costs of the hotels.…”

Knowledge Co-Production and Transdisciplinarity: Opening Pandora’s Box

“…Knowledge content is inseparable from the context and forms of production [7,8]. Beyond the ideal of neutrality and universality, scientific knowledge, and technical knowledge in particular, are enmeshed with politics and power, and so are the technological fixes thought to solve water problems (e.g., technologies of desalinization to increase water quantity, while depoliticizing the deeper problem of water scarcity and social dissent [9,10]). Instead, it has been suggested that a different kind of knowledge is needed, one that concerns the actors themselves, and their many different ways of experiencing and knowing water [7].…”