Ten Innovative Application of Water and Energy Nexus. Water used for energy generation or energy used for clean water production both can be referred to as an example of Water-Energy Nexus.This presentation depicts ten such innovative and novel examples of Water and Energy Nexus.

1. Ten Innovative
Applications of
Water Energy Nexus
DR. MRINMOY MAJUMDER
FOUNDING AND HONORARY EDITOR
INNOVATE WITH SUSTAINABILITY
HTTP://WWW.BAIPATRA.WS

2. Introduction
• Increasing populations in emerging
countries will account for over 90 percent
of global population growth by 2030;
• Their rapid industrialization, urbanization,
and motorization mean that these
economies will contribute 70 percent of
global GDP growth by 2030 and
• Maximum of the growth will be in global
water and energy demand.
Source : https://www.who.int/gho/urban_health/en/

3. Contd.
• The natural and physical systems of the Earth
provides food, energy, and water (FEW)
resources.
• Water is required for the production of energy
• Energy is needed for wastewater treatment,
desalination, pumping groundwater, and for
transport of water.
• Water and energy are critical for agriculture and
food production.
Source :
https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1029/
2017RG000591

4. Water Energy
Nexus : Why
?
• Rapid urbanization, and climatic abnormalities have
major effects on Food Energy and Water(FEW).
• Impacts “the social, behavioural, and economic
decisions made by individuals, organizations, and
governments”.
• The increased demand on these resources,
specially for Water and Energy Resource, societies
can no longer continue optimal operation for one
system (i.e., food, energy, or water system)
• “We must plan our interaction within the FEW
system of systems so that no single one fails even if
it means that all operate sub-optimally…as a result
smart nexus in FEW is the need of the hour”.
• Specially the energy and water resource has to
be managed symbiotically such that the other
component will be automatically managed
optimally.
Source : https://www.hindawi.com/journals/amete/2019/3985715

5. Water Energy
Nexus : What ?
Management of water in energy sector
Management of energy in water sector
For maximization of productivity.
Can be referred as Water Energy Nexus

6. Points of
Concern :
Brazil
• The “ripple effect” of water scarcity on
food and power production where a
persistent drought induced “The
biggest shock” which has risen the
cost of fruits and vegetables.
• The drought is projected to continue to
affect the coffee, sugar cane, and other
crops production, with a resultant
fallout to the country’s economy.
• Drought can start to drive up electricity
prices, as power companies could be
forced to use more expensive
thermoelectric power plants to
compensate for the dwindling
reservoirs behind hydroelectric power
plants.
• As a result growth rate of Brazil’s
growth will reduce further by 1 to 2
percent.
Source : https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/insights/deloitte-review/issue-
17/water-energy-food-nexus.html

7. POINT OF
CONCERN :
CHINA
• The impact on economic growth due to scarcity of
FEW has been identified in China as early as 2011.
• The largest portion of China's industrial water use
is for energy production, like Chinese hydropower
and China is the largest producer of hydropower in
the world and plans to triple hydropower capacity
by 2020.
• “Less than half of the water used for irrigation
actually reaching crops.”
Source : https://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/articles/9684/chinas-growing-
water-crisis

8. Point of
Concern :
USA
• Water scarcity is now affecting both energy and
food production in California
• According to a recent report, the drought is
estimated to drive an economic loss to the state
economy of about $3 billion in 2015—an increase
from about $2.2 billion in 2014.
• Groundwater irrigation is also highly energy
intensive (IWMI 2009).
Source : https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40518-014-0024-3

9. Point of
Concern : India
• Indian government stressed on “increasing energy
efficiency of electric irrigation pumps and given
guidelines on increasing efficiency in energy use”.
• Pushed for solar powered irrigation pumps in the
2018 Union budget
• Effective monitoring of the arrangement is
required to ensure that price per unit of water sold
from pumping groundwater using solar energy is
lower than actual cost paid to the power distriutor
Source : https://www.teriin.org/article/water-food-energy-nexus-india

10. Water Energy
Nexus
Opportunities
• United Nations’ 2015 Sustainable Development Goals
includes three focused area : food, water, and energy.
• World Bank, IUCN, and the World Economic Forum
etc. have called for action for the nexus.
• Aquafed, WBCSD etc private sectors are keen to
ensure water and energy security through sustainable
efforts like the actions adopted by the Coca-Cola
Company and Royal Dutch Shell.
Source : https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/blog/2015/12/sustainable-development-goals-kick-off-with-
start-of-new-year

11. TEN
INNOVATIVE
EXAMPLES OF
WATER
ENERGY
NEXUS

12. NEXUS
EWATER
RECYCLER
• Nexus eWater has developed a technology to
help save water and energy.
• The Nexus eWater Recycler, can reduce
domestic water usage by 34 percent,
• Sewage flows can be decremented by 70
percent, and hot water with 75 percent less
energy than conventional technologies, can be
produced.
• “Designed as a combined water purification and
heating system, the Nexus eWater Recycler
recycles grey water to a quality which is safe to
use on lawns and in toilets while simultaneously
extracting the waste heat in grey water and
concentrating it in a hot water tank”.
Source : https://nexus-ewater.webflow.io/

13. POWER PLANTS
TO UTILIZE
MUNICIPAL
WASTEWATER
• Existing power plants can utilize municipal
wastewater for meeting their water
requirements.
• Using a low-quality water source will have
hazards like “precipitation, scaling, corrosion,
and biomass growth inside recirculated
cooling systems”.
• The water may be treated using conventional
technology, such as reverse osmosis, prior to
circulating it through the plant;.
• An “optimal approach for managing water
quality inside the system requires testing,
modelling, assessing the lifecycle cost, and
conducting a lifecycle assessment of
alternative treatments.”
Source : https://www.wef.org/globalassets/assets-wef/3---resources/topics/a-
n/energy/asmewef-municipal-wastewater-reuse-by-electric-utilities-9-12-12-final.pdf

14. NPXpress
• American Water has developed a
technology that decreases the energy
used in the wastewater treatment
process by 50 percent.
• The technology is called NPXpress and it
is already implemented at seven
wastewater treatment plants in New
Jersey and New York.
Source :
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1365693714701121

15. WASTE WATER
TREATMENT
PLANT ON
RENEWABLE
ENERGY
• “A solar electric system
supplements 20 percent of peak
usage at Canal Road Water
Treatment Plant in New Jersey.”
• In Pennsylvania Yardley Water
Treatment Plant Facility runs
entirely on wind-generated energy
purchased from local provider.
Source : http://uswateralliance.org/resources/blog/water-energy-nexus-
benefits-innovations

16. THE EDF
GROUP’S
SOLUTION FOR
WATER
ALLOCATION
BETWEEN
IRRIGATION
AND ENERGY
GENERATION
• Electricité de France, known as The EDF
Group, devised a mechanism to allocate
water for irrigation and power production of a
region.
• It devised a process of valuing water, which
creates a mutually beneficial economic
agreement for the stakeholders.
Source : https://www.hydropower.org/sites/default/files/publications-docs/Multi-
purpose_water_uses_of_hydropower_reservoirs.pdf

17. MULTIFAMILY
ENERGY AND
WATER
EFFICIENCY
PROGRAM
• Austin Water Utility, Texas Gas Service, and
Austin Energy in 2011 developed a “Multifamily
Energy and Water Efficiency Program”.
• The program was designed to help conserve
water, electricity, and gas.
• The program provides resource efficiency
home improvements for multifamily residential
dwellings.
Source : https://www.aceee.org/sites/default/files/publications/researchreports/e13h.pdf

18. “ACCELERATOR
PROGRAM”
OF IMAGINE H2O
• Imagine H2O is an organization that promotes
nexus technology innovation in areas of
agriculture, water efficiency, wastewater reuse,
and energy and resource recovery.
• It offers an “accelerator program” to help
competing entrepreneurs turn their plans into
scalable technologies and become part of the
nexus ecosystem.
Source : https://www.imagineh2o.org/accelerator

19. FLOW-THROUGH
ELECTRODE
CAPACITIVE
DESALINATION
Flow-Through Electrode Capacitive Desalination—
Patent No. 20120273359: FTE-CD represents :
Process of Desalination
Through the application of electricity
cost-effectively and reliable
produces clean drinking water.
Source :https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2012/ee/c2ee21498a#!divAbstract

20. FRESH WATER FROM
BRACKISH GROUND
OR SURFACE WATER
USING COMPOSITE
RESIN ELECTRODES
Fresh Water From Brackish Ground
or Surface Water using Composite
Resin Electrodes— Patent Pending:
Uses composite resin electrodes
and energy.
Energy used for Ion Removal to
produce fresh water from Brackish
Ground Water.
Source : https://ipo.lbl.gov/3121_3135/

21. ENHANCED
RENEWABLE
METHANE
PRODUCTION
SYSTEM
• Enhanced Renewable Methane
Production System from
Wastewater Treatment Plants,
Farms, & Landfills—Patent No.
8,247,009:
• A low-cost process
• accelerates biological methane
production rates
• thus addressing one of the
largest barriers to the use of
renewable methane which can be
used for energy generation.
Source : https://www.anl.gov/tcp/enhanced-renewable-methane-
production-system-benefits-wastewater-treatment-plants-farms-and