The Energy–Water Nexus: Managing the Links between Energy and Water for a Sustainable Future

Abstract

ABSTRACT. Water and energy are each recognized as indispensable inputs to modern economies. And, in recent years, driven by the three imperatives of security of supply, sustainability, and economic efficiency, the energy and water sectors have undergone rapid reform. However, it is when water and energy rely on each other that the most complex challenges are posed for policymakers. Despite the links and the urgency in both sectors for security of supply, in existing policy frameworks, energy and water policies are developed largely in isolation from one another-a degree of policy fragmentation that is seeing erroneous developments in both sectors. Examples of the trade-offs between energy and water security include: the proliferation of desalination plants and interbasin transfers to deal with water scarcity; extensive groundwater pumping for water supplies; firstgeneration biofuels; the proliferation of hydropower plants; decentralized water supply solutions such as rainwater tanks; and even some forms of modern irrigation techniques. Drawing on case studies from Australia, Europe, and the United States, this Special Issue attempts to develop a comprehensive understanding of the links between energy and water, to identify where better-integrated policy and management strategies and solutions are needed or available, and to understand where barriers exist to achieve that integration. In this paper we draw out some of the themes emerging from the Special Issue, and, particularly, where insights might be valuable for policymakers, practitioners, and scientists across the many relevant domains. Key Words: energy policy; energy-water nexus; integrated planning; policy integration; water policy INTRODUCTIONThis collection of articles grew out of a series of workshops initiated and sponsored by COST-the intergovernmental framework for European Cooperation in Science and Technology-to develop a comprehensive understanding of the links between energy and water, to identify where betterintegrated policy and management strategies and solutions are needed or available, and to understand where barriers exist to achieve that integration. The research initiative responded to the realization that while both water and energy security were attracting significant attention from scholars and practitioners alike, the interconnections between the two sectors-known as the energy-water nexus-had been underappreciated and underexplored (U.S. Department of Energy 2006, Marsh and Sharma 2007, Proust et al. 2007).

Application of system dynamics approach in electricity sector modelling: A review

“…Despite the interdependency of electricity and water, there is a lack of frameworks guiding policy developments [36]. To encourage researchers to deal with this issue, Newell et al [32] proposed a qualitative SD model for Australia.…”

The Need for Policy Coordination in Governing the Water-Energy-Food Nexus

“…Multi-stakeholder processes are an important approach to coordinate across sectors and policy levels, and induce effective change of management and governance structures (e.g., Mostert et al, 2007, Hussey andPittock, 2012). An example of institutional innovation is the Laguna del Sauce basin commission in Uruguay which integrates a range of actors (e.g., users, political bodies, regulatory agencies, local and national government).…”

The Water-Energy-Food Nexus and the Transboundary Context: Insights from Large Asian Rivers

“…Even the very name of the approach is not consistent, with the three nexus sectors written in differing order and the term "security" both included and excluded from the term. The actual number of nexus sectors also differs, focusing sometimes only on two sectors (e.g., [13,14]) or extended to additional sectors such as climate change [15,16], ecosystems [17] and livelihoods [18]. The terms change too, for example, food is sometimes replaced by land [19].…”