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Water and Energy Synergies
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Water and Energy Synergies

A special issue of Water (ISSN 2073-4441). This special issue belongs to the section "Water-Energy Nexus".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 August 2024) | Viewed by 7365

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Christiana M. Papapostolou

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of West Attica, 12244 Egaleo, Greece
Interests: techno-economic evaluation of energy and water systems and technologies; supply chain modelling and optimisation; life cycle analysis of energy, water, and fuel supply chains; circular economy and waste management
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Georgios Tzanes

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of West Attica, 12244 Egaleo, Greece
2. School of Civil Engineering, National Technical University of Athens, 15780 Zografou, Greece
Interests: energy and water systems optimization; microgrids; demand side management; forecasting using machine learning techniques

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Efforts to adopt and advance holistic approaches in the management of water and energy systems is of particular significance in the move towards a sustainable and carbon neutral future. Grounded by relevant literature and acknowledged by policy initiatives, such integrated management schemes exploit interdependencies among water and energy systems for improving inter alia their environmental performance, reliability, security of supply, efficiency and cost effectiveness.

This Special Issue welcomes research articles and critical reviews advancing the knowledge on coupled water and energy systems modelling using optimization techniques, or demonstrating innovative applications of integrated water and energy management schemes, on a local (e.g., a remote community) or national level and at a unit (e.g., a pumped hydroelectric storage facility) or network scale. We also encourage the submission of papers that identify, analyse and address challenges emerging from forecasting uncertainty, either on the demand or supply side, and with regards to the application of demand response strategies, on the basis of the sector-coupling concept and within the water–energy nexus research topic.

Dr. Christiana M. Papapostolou
Dr. Georgios Tzanes
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Water is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • water & energy nexus
  • integrated modelling of water & energy systems
  • optimization
  • systems management
  • demand response
  • forecasting
  • sustainability

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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19 pages, 5375 KiB  
Article
Identifying Water–Energy–Carbon Links in Urban Water Sectors: A Case Study of Incheon Metropolitan City, Republic of Korea
by Kyoungwon Min, Gyumin Lee, Hyunjung Kim, Taemun Hwang, Eunju Kim, Juwon Lee and Doosun Kang
Water 2024, 16(17), 2473; https://doi.org/10.3390/w16172473 - 30 Aug 2024
Viewed by 791
Abstract
Water and energy are essential resources for human life, and carbon emissions (CEs) occur in tandem with their use. Thus, water, energy, and carbon are closely inter-related. Approximately 4% of the global energy is used in urban water sectors (UWSs), which encompass various [...] Read more.
Water and energy are essential resources for human life, and carbon emissions (CEs) occur in tandem with their use. Thus, water, energy, and carbon are closely inter-related. Approximately 4% of the global energy is used in urban water sectors (UWSs), which encompass various processes such as water intake, treatment, and distribution and wastewater collection and treatment, all of which consume significant energy and emit CO2. Several countries are actively working toward achieving carbon neutrality by 2050–2060. Therefore, increasing energy efficiency and reducing CEs through comprehensive evaluations of UWSs is essential. This study aimed to quantify energy consumption and CEs in UWSs and proposed a methodology for analyzing water–energy–carbon (WEC) links at the city level. By applying it to Incheon Metropolitan City (IMC), we first identified the UWSs and established a WEC database. Based on this database, the WEC consumption and emissions were analyzed by process or administrative district, and visualizations using Sankey diagrams and Geographic Information System Mapping were created to enhance their understandability. In 2021, the UWSs in IMC consumed 308,496,107 kWh of energy, representing 32.7% of the public electricity consumption of IMC, with an average energy intensity of 0.46 and 0.38 kWh/m³ for water supply systems (WSSs) and sewerage systems (SSs), respectively. Their carbon emissions totaled 315,765,358 kg CO2, accounting for 2.7% of IMC’s total carbon emissions, with an average carbon intensity of 0.21 and 0.58 kg CO2/m³ for WSSs and SSs, respectively. The proposed methodology was used to comprehensively evaluate WEC consumption and emissions in IMC. It is expected to enable relevant stakeholders to develop measures, such as water reuse and increasing renewable energy usage in water treatment and wastewater treatment plants, to build sustainable UWSs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Water and Energy Synergies)
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42 pages, 16420 KiB  
Article
Multi-Objective and Multi-Variable Optimization Models of Hybrid Renewable Energy Solutions for Water–Energy Nexus
by João S. T. Coelho, Maaike van de Loo, Juan Antonio Rodríguez Díaz, Oscar E. Coronado-Hernández, Modesto Perez-Sanchez and Helena M. Ramos
Water 2024, 16(17), 2360; https://doi.org/10.3390/w16172360 - 23 Aug 2024
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1306
Abstract
A new methodology, called HY4RES models, includes hybrid energy solutions (HESs) based on the availability of renewable sources, for 24 h of water allocation, using WaterGEMS 10.0 and PVGIS 5.2 as auxiliary calculations. The optimization design was achieved using Solver, with GRG nonlinear/evolutionary [...] Read more.
A new methodology, called HY4RES models, includes hybrid energy solutions (HESs) based on the availability of renewable sources, for 24 h of water allocation, using WaterGEMS 10.0 and PVGIS 5.2 as auxiliary calculations. The optimization design was achieved using Solver, with GRG nonlinear/evolutionary programming, and Python, with the non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm (NSGA-II). The study involves the implementation of complex multi-objective and multi-variable algorithms with different renewable sources, such as PV solar energy, pumped hydropower storage (PHS) energy, wind energy, grid connection energy, or battery energy, and also sensitivity analyses and comparisons of optimization models. Higher water allocations relied heavily on grid energy, especially at night when solar power was unavailable. For a case study of irrigation water needs of 800 and 1000 m3/ha, the grid is not needed, but for 3000 and 6000 m3/ha, grid energy rises significantly, reaching 5 and 14 GWh annually, respectively. When wind energy is also integrated, at night, it allows for reducing grid energy use by 60% for 3000 m3/ha of water allocation, yielding a positive lifetime cashflow (EUR 284,781). If the grid is replaced by batteries, it results in a lack of a robust backup and struggles to meet high water and energy needs. Economically, PV + wind + PHS + grid energy is the most attractive solution, reducing the dependence on auxiliary sources and benefiting from sales to the grid. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Water and Energy Synergies)
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17 pages, 4648 KiB  
Article
Operating Energy Needed for Desalination Systems in Cogeneration Plants
by Obida Zeitoun
Water 2024, 16(11), 1629; https://doi.org/10.3390/w16111629 - 6 Jun 2024
Viewed by 927
Abstract
This study investigated the energy requirement for running desalination units coupled to cogeneration plants. Various cogeneration systems were explored using power- and heat-allocated approaches. The specific work and heat necessary for operating different desalination systems were determined. The investigation revealed that the specific [...] Read more.
This study investigated the energy requirement for running desalination units coupled to cogeneration plants. Various cogeneration systems were explored using power- and heat-allocated approaches. The specific work and heat necessary for operating different desalination systems were determined. The investigation revealed that the specific work and heat remain consistent regardless of the desalination daily capacity. It was observed that the energy demand for operating a desalination system mainly relies on power plant efficiency. The investigation revealed that the energy demand for a plain multi-effect desalination system was lower than that for multi-effect desalination with thermal vapor compression. Additionally, the energy requirement for a multi-effect desalination system with preheaters was lower than that for plain multi-effect desalination. Comparisons also indicated that the energy demand of multi-stage flash exceeds that of different multi-effect desalination systems. Based on the primary thermal energy input, a universal performance ratio was used to evaluate the desalination unit performance. Furthermore, a new correlation was proposed to predict the universal performance ratio. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Water and Energy Synergies)
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16 pages, 4018 KiB  
Article
Integrated and Sustainable Water and Sanitation Systems at Two Rural Sites in South Africa
by Michael John Rudolph and Evans Muchesa
Water 2023, 15(22), 3974; https://doi.org/10.3390/w15223974 - 15 Nov 2023
Viewed by 2997
Abstract
This paper presents a case study of two sites in South Africa: the Phumulani Agri-Village in Mpumalanga, and a school program in the Eastern Cape. The study evaluates the effectiveness of water and sanitation programs in these rural settings. A transdisciplinary literature review [...] Read more.
This paper presents a case study of two sites in South Africa: the Phumulani Agri-Village in Mpumalanga, and a school program in the Eastern Cape. The study evaluates the effectiveness of water and sanitation programs in these rural settings. A transdisciplinary literature review was conducted using primary and secondary data sources from the two sites. The data synthesized themes such as integrated water systems, agroecology, community participation, and resource use. The findings provide insights into the water and sanitation status and implementation of interventions. The application of integrated water systems demonstrated the effective use of rainwater harvesting and storage tanks, upgraded pit toilets, innovative stepped platforms, and stormwater retention methods. At Phumulani, old boreholes were repaired, and new ones were drilled, resulting in adequate water yield from five boreholes for agricultural projects and households, positively impacting the community. Plans to improve access and water quality are in place. These interventions underscore the importance of financial investment, human resources capability, infrastructure, and expertise in evaluation. The water systems have contributed to improved access to water, dignity, and health. Future objectives include containerized water treatment plants as sustainable solutions to ensure consistent, clean water for schools, households, agricultural projects, and eco-toilets. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Water and Energy Synergies)
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Review

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16 pages, 1805 KiB  
Review
The Water–Energy Nexus in 26 European Countries: A Review from a Hydrogeological Perspective
by Somayeh Rezaei Kalvani, Riccardo Pinardi and Fulvio Celico
Water 2024, 16(20), 2981; https://doi.org/10.3390/w16202981 - 19 Oct 2024
Viewed by 671
Abstract
The significance of the interconnection between water and energy, known as the water–energy (WE) nexus, is highly regarded in scientific publications. This study used a narrative review method to analyze the existing WE nexus studies performed before 2024 in 26 European countries. The [...] Read more.
The significance of the interconnection between water and energy, known as the water–energy (WE) nexus, is highly regarded in scientific publications. This study used a narrative review method to analyze the existing WE nexus studies performed before 2024 in 26 European countries. The aim of this study is to provide a comprehensive analysis of the existing WE nexus to identify research gaps and to report a conceptual overview of energy consumption related to groundwater use phases, ranging from the tapping to distribution. This information is valuable as a guideline for any future estimates in this field. The results indicate that the WE nexus in 26 European countries comprises a variety of topics, including the water supply system, wastewater treatment, hydropower, desalination, and biofuel production. Most of the focus has been on fossil fuel production, while water supply and desalination were considered rarely. Italy and Portugal had the largest WE nexus. It is highlighted that there have been no studies on the WE nexus focusing on the groundwater supply system that consider the conceptual hydrological model or hydrodynamic processes. In this work, a view of these aspects was provided by taking into account different hydrogeological and hydraulic scenarios that may affect the amount of energy required for groundwater exploitation. Most scientific publications have focused on quantitative analysis. In the future, it will be necessary for WE nexus models to place a greater emphasis on governance and the implications of the WE nexus approach. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Water and Energy Synergies)
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