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.

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.

Unlocking Small-scale Hydropower using Water Infrastructure for National Energy Security

Reliable local energy generation and long-duration energy storage are critical to balancing peak demands and providing distributed emergency backup near both urban and rural populations. However, small-scale (< 10 MW) hydropower faces barriers, including siting, permitting, water ...

Stokes-Draut, J., Taylor, M., and Rao, P.

Integrated Water-Energy Resilience Research and Testbeds

Water availability increasingly constrains the reliability and flexibility of water-dependent energy systems, including hydropower, thermoelectric generation, and grid operations. Hydrologic extremes, shifting demand, aging infrastructure, and cross-sector pressures are intensifyi...

Negron-Juarez, R., Amusat, O., Koven, C., and Viers, J.

Standardized Siting and Risk Analysis Decision Support Mechanisms for Water-Intensive Industries

This paper focuses on water for cooling industrial energy generation loads and energy and water for cooling large process loads. A challenge is that siting any large facility with substantial water demands without understanding baseline conditions and assessing potential multi-sec...

Fuchs, H., Karki, U., Stokes-Draut, J., Rao, P., Varadharajan, C., Hodson, A., Ajami, N., and Shehabi, A.

Building Resilient Energy-Water Systems: Integrated Modeling, Scenario Selection, and Near-Term Decision Support

U.S. energy and water systems are increasingly interdependent, often leading to cascading and compounding system failures when faced with acute and chronic hazards. Such stressors propagate across multiple spatial scales, typically starting with changing earth system dynamics (for...

Rodriguez, L., Szinai, J., Stokes-Draut, J., Dwivedi, D., Ulrich, C., Holm, J., and Vahmani, P.