Search the Library

Harnessing water system flexibility for grid resilience

With new critical infrastructure that require uninterrupted power supplies (such as data centers that support the AI boom) and a rising share of intermittent generation sources on the grid, there is a growing need for flexibility in grid resources which can ramp up or down quickly...

Szinai, J., and Callaway, D.

Increasing Robustness and Resilience of Water Delivery Infrastructure

This white paper outlines the need for a national testing capability for water treatment and delivery infrastructure to enhance energy-water resilience (EWR) and address existing knowledge and technology gaps. The vulnerability of water systems to contamination, physical compromis...

Reese, S., Gagnon, O., and Otto, M.

Energy-Water Resiliency for Drinking Water and Wastewater Treatment

This white paper focuses on water treatment operational flexibility, technoeconomic analyses, real-time modeling and control, modular systems, and resource recovery. Challenges include municipal water and wastewater services are large energy users; underestimation of energy and w...

Struck, S., Boren, B., and Hardikar, M.

Improved quantification of river nutrient loading for better water quality and more efficient energy use

The focus of this paper is multi-sector dynamics involving agriculture practices, water quality and energy. Currently there lacks high-resolution spatiotemporal data regarding water quality and usage, forcing the planning for water treatment to adopt the conservative, worst-case a...

Tang, J., and Zhu, Q.

Contaminants of Emerging Concern in Water Sources and Impacts on Water and Wastewater Treatment

This white paper examines the critical issue of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) in water systems, emphasizing the need for advanced water reuse and reclamation technologies to mitigate water scarcity, particularly in arid and remote regions. These contaminants, which inclu...

Saulsbury, B., Reese, S., and Mathews, T.

Quantifying Energy Use across U.S. Water Sectors: A Scalable AI/ML-Driven Framework for Data Integration and Resilience Planning

This white paper explores opportunities to quantify and characterize energy use across major U.S. water sectors, including irrigation, water supply, and water treatment, with a focus on energy for water dimension. A scalable AI/ML-driven framework will be developed to harmonize fr...

Ghimire, G., Bhanja, S., and Martinez, R.

Material Science Driven Water Technology Innovation

The white paper explores multiple Energy-Water Resilience (EWR) topics, including water for energy, energy for water, and their intersections. It proposes low-cost, scalable water-based material processes to advance water technologies through materials innovation. The existing cha...

Chang, C., and Ajami, N.

Unlocking the energy-water interdependency through bio-augmented treatment of produced water for agricultural re-use and aquifer recharge

The supply and demand for energy and water within the US is increasingly intertwined. Several examples of this include the large volumes of water consumed by hydraulic fracking, the reliance of energy-intensive groundwater pumping in agriculture, and the significant water and powe...

Solander, K., Patelli, P., Gonzalez-Esquer, R., Xu, C., Bower, C., and Kisekka, I.

A Multi-Scale Integrated Assessment Model for How Emerging Biotechnologies Can Contribute to Decoupling Energy and Water Systems

Energy-water (EW) systems in the U.S. are deeply interconnected through complex networks vulnerable to disruptions, such as when a regional drought simultaneously impacts hydropower generation, thermoelectric production, and water availability across multiple sectors, producing kn...

Patelli, P., Solander, K., Gonzalez-Esquer, R., Xu, C., Bower, C., Davis, R., Carruthers, J., and Thomas, J.

Produced Water: A Potential Solution to Achieve America Energy Dominance

Produced water, a significant byproduct of oil and gas extraction, represents an underutilized water resource. However, the high salinity, presence of organics, and scale-forming compounds make it technically challenging to treat. Membrane desalination technologies suffer from fou...

Sharan, P., and Ho, T.