Search the Library

Synergistic Pathways for Water Security in Emerging Sectors: Data Centers and Modern Nuclear Facilities

Stand-alone data centers, nuclear-powered data centers, and novel nuclear facilities such as fusion plant and small modular reactors are water intensive sectors poised to rapidly expand, presenting a significant challenge to the water-for-energy nexus. The potential for large-scal...

Catalano, A., Duan, Z., Quimby, C., Wang, T., Chini, C., Premathilake, L., and Pope, J.

Aligning Bytes with Basins to Promote Data Center Growth in the U.S.

This white paper examines the water-energy tradeoffs of U.S. data-center expansion, highlighting how cooling choices, power sourcing, and siting decisions shape local water security, grid resilience, and watershed sustainability. The study focuses on integrating direct (on-site po...

Siddik, M., Turner, S., and Chinthavali, S.

Co-optimization of Energy and Water Demands to Enable Rapid but Resilient Expansion of Data Centers

Data centers consume substantial amounts of electricity and can amplify water stress locally as well as in distant regions via their direct (for cooling) and indirect (for thermoelectric power generation) consumption of water. There is an opportunity to enhance energy-water resili...

Burleyson, C., Akdemir, K., Mongird, K., and Wild, T.

Integrated Water-Energy-Economics Framework for Public Water System Resilience

This paper highlights key energy-for-water challenges in U.S. public water systems (PWS): aging infrastructure, cost recovery gaps, hydrologic vulnerabilities, and high-demand users like data centers--which concentrate near population centers and existing PWS. It underscores the n...

Siddik, M., Ahmad, N., Guaita, S., and Chinthavali, S.

A National Framework for Water-Informed Geothermal Expansion and Energy-Water Resilience

This white paper outlines the need for a coordinated, national framework to guide geothermal energy expansion in ways that use water efficiently and strengthen energy-water resilience. It highlights the opportunity to connect national-to-regional modeling with site-scale analysis,...

Wild, T., Niazi, H., DiRaddo, S., Villante, M., Goecker, A., and Chowdhury, K.