Trade-offs across the water-energy-food nexus: A triple bottom line sustainability assessment of desalination for agriculture in the San Quintín Valley, Mexico

Environmental Science & Policy (Elsevier) | September 30th, 2020

This paper introduces a novel triple bottom line sustainability assessment to evaluate the water-energy-food nexus of desalination for agriculture. Falling technology cos

This paper introduces a novel triple bottom line sustainability assessment to evaluate the water-energy-food nexus of desalination for agriculture. Falling technology costs and rising water scarcity worldwide make desalination an increasingly attractive proposition, and agriculture is one of the main sectors grappling with its potential impacts. To explore this issue, we combine a wide range of primary and secondary environmental, economic, and social data with a triple bottom line / WEF nexus analysis, to demonstrate both the holistic sustainability impacts of desalination for agriculture, and the multi-sectoral policy environment within which desalination is adopted. We apply this approach to 54 privately-owned desalination plants that treat brackish groundwater for agricultural use in the San Quintín Valley of Baja California, Mexico. We find that subsidized energy for local agribusinesses plays an important role in making desalination economically viable in the region. This in turn fuels a large agricultural export industry that represents a significant virtual water transfer to the US market. Rapid population growth in the area driven by agricultural labor needs exacerbates the issues of social equity and sustainability that these subsidies and transfers raise. We conclude with a discussion of how to manage these identified trade-offs across the water-energy-food nexus.

Trend analysis of ground-water levels and spring discharge in the Yucca Mountain region, Nevada and California, 1960–2000

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) | July 1st, 2002

Two-dimensional, steady-state model of ground-water flow, Nevada Test Site and vicinity, Nevada- California: U.S. Geological Survey Water-Resources Investigations Report 82-4085

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) | July 1st, 1962

Urban water and electricity demand data for understanding climate change impacts on the water-energy nexus

Nature Portfolio (Springer Nature) | January 23rd, 2024

Valuing energy flexibility from water systems

Nature Portfolio (Springer Nature) | September 27th, 2024

From Maven's Notebook preview: * The researchers suggest a way to measure the value of using water systems to help manage energy needs. * Water systems are generall

From Maven's Notebook preview: * The researchers suggest a way to measure the value of using water systems to help manage energy needs. * Water systems are generally very efficient at adjusting their energy use, but with current designs, they can only provide a moderate amount of power and energy under typical conditions. * Upgrading facilities to improve their energy flexibility is often a good investment and is usually cheaper than adding battery storage on-site. * Different pricing systems for energy in the U.S. and around the world have the biggest impact on whether these upgrades will be profitable. * Recognizing the value of energy flexibility is the first step to encouraging energy storage, flexible energy use, and renewable biogas generation in the water industry.

Water and Energy in California

Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) | December 6th, 2022

Water and Energy Sector Vulnerability to Climate Warming in the Sierra Nevada: Simulating the Regulated Rivers of California’s West Slope Sierra Nevada

California Energy Commission (CEC) | August 7th, 2012

Climate warming is expected to affect the beneficial uses of water in the Sierra Nevada, impacting nearly every resident of California. This paper describes the developme

Climate warming is expected to affect the beneficial uses of water in the Sierra Nevada, impacting nearly every resident of California. This paper describes the development and results from an integrated water resource management model encompassing water operations and hydropower generation for the west slope Sierra Nevada spanning the Feather River basin in the north to the Kern River basin in the south at the weekly time step. This model application includes management of reservoirs, run-of-river hydropower plants, water supply demand locations, conveyances, and instream flow requirement. Model validation indicates that most major hydropower turbine flows were simulated well, with wetter years modeled more effectively than drier years. The results of this work indicated that hydropower generation will be reduced by approximately 8 percent with 6°C (10.8°F) warming, consistent with other studies, with a conservative parameterization of no change in precipitation. Reservoir operations adapt to capture earlier and greater runoff volumes that result from earlier and greater runoff due to climate warming. Seasonal compensation in operations is insufficient to overcome warming mediated losses.

Water Power in California: The factors on which it depends, and the extent to which it might be utilized

Scientific American | April 26th, 1919

Water-Energy Synergies: Coordinating Efficiency Programs in California

Pacific Institute | September 4th, 2013

All forms of energy – from hydropower to solar panels – use water to extract and process the fuels, construct the processing facilities, or generate the electricity.

All forms of energy – from hydropower to solar panels – use water to extract and process the fuels, construct the processing facilities, or generate the electricity. Likewise, water supply, treatment, use, and disposal use considerable amounts of energy. Coordinating water-energy efficiency efforts provides a significant opportunity to achieve greater savings for both water and energy utilities and for their customers, according to a new study from the Pacific Institute: Water-Energy Synergies: Coordinating Efficiency Programs in California. Recent events have made the connections between water and energy very visible. The Rim Fire has burned large sections of the Tuolumne River watershed and along several miles of the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir, affecting the water and energy supply of San Francisco and other Bay Area communities. Similarly in Southern California, the recent closure of the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station has raised concerns about meeting regional energy needs, particularly during the hot summer months, when electricity and water demand are especially high. But while these events demonstrate some of the challenges associated with the water-energy connection, they also highlight some of the opportunities: namely that saving water saves energy – and using less energy in turn saves even more water – reducing our vulnerability to both water and energy constraints. To better understand the barriers to coordinating water and energy efficiency programs, the Pacific Institute interviewed and surveyed California water and energy managers. The managers reported the most significant barriers were associated with funding, limited staff time, uncertainty about how to allocate costs and benefits among project partners, and water-related pricing policies, as well as an absence of established relationships between potential water and energy partners. “We examine the barriers to coordinated water and energy efficiency programs and discuss, through case studies, ways that several California utilities have been able to overcome these barriers,” said Heather Cooley, co-director of the Pacific Institute Water Program. “Coordinating programs can be an important tool to meet efficiency goals, allowing the state to meet critical policy objectives and saving Californians’ money.”

Water, energy and environment nexus: The California experience

International Journal of Water Resources Development (Taylor & Francis) | July 21st, 2010

The paper addresses the local and inter-state connections between water, energy and the environment. Using California and the western USA as a case study, the paper highl

The paper addresses the local and inter-state connections between water, energy and the environment. Using California and the western USA as a case study, the paper highlights the difficulties of balancing the needs of diverse stakeholders and protecting valuable resources while providing reliable and safe supplies of both water and energy to agricultural, industrial and residential customers. The investigation of these complex relationships is necessary to inform local and national policy decisions regarding the management of water, energy and the environment.