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Thermoelectric and Hydropower Drought Monitor and Outlook: Tools for more robust resource adequacy planning and management

The primary focus is on issues related to water for energy; specifically, how drought-impacted water supply limits the generation potential of hydropower and thermoelectric assets. Existing Challenge: Twenty-two droughts, each causing a billion dollars or more in damages have im...

Voisin, N., Tidwell, V., and Gerlich, J.

Forecast-Informed, Market-Responsive Conjunctive Operations for Multi-Reservoir Water-Energy Systems

The white paper, "Forecast-Informed, Market-Responsive Conjunctive Operations for Multi-Reservoir Water-Energy Systems" , addresses the water-for-energy and energy-for-water nexus by proposing a framework for co-optimizing hydropower and cascading reservoir operations alongside fl...

Pavicevic, M., Mork, E., Yu, A., Herman, J., Emmons, J., and Ploussard, Q.

Resilience By Design: Advanced Metrics and Comprehensive Methods for Energy-Water Systems Analysis

This white paper examines the connections between energy and water systems, highlighting the need for thorough resilience analyses and interdisciplinary metrics in these sectors. It addresses challenges stemming from the growing interdependence and uncertainty in decision-making d...

Valdez, R., Jackson, N., and Wachtel, A.

Energy-Enabled Decentralized Treatment of Brackish Water Sources for Agricultural Irrigation

This white paper, Energy-Enabled Decentralized Treatment of Brackish Water Sources for Agricultural Irrigation, focuses on the energy-for-water nexus and explores how decentralized, low-energy treatment systems can enable the on-site reuse of brackish groundwater for agriculture. ...

Ikner, L., Pan, W., Hickenbotttom, K., and Achilli, A.

A Hybrid AI-Optimization Framework for Resilient Hydropower Operations to Support Grid Stability, Extreme Weather Management, and Large-Scale Industrial Loads

This white paper supports a two-stage decision-support framework that links fast, probabilistic inflow forecasts from modern machine learning and generative AI with multistage stochastic optimization for hydropower scheduling. By propagating uncertainty from prediction into operat...

Ploussard, Q., and Feinstein, J.

Opportunities for Water-Scarce, Water-Volatile Irrigated Agriculture Land for Energy-Crop Production

This white paper examines the historical and current challenges of water management in the Western U.S., particularly in relation to irrigation infrastructure, agricultural productivity, and energy use. The paper emphasizes the potential of biomass and bioeconomy initiatives as a ...

Hartley, D., and Langholtz, M.

Advancing Energy-Water Resilience through Integrated Science and Technology for Natural Infrastructure Management

This white paper focuses on water for energy. The challenge is that ecosystems are under increasing stress from rising temperatures, prolonged drought, and intensifying disturbances like wildfire, insects, and land-use change, which can impact the hydrologic capacity of watershed...

Dickman, L., Atchley, A., Giovando, J., Fluet-Chouinard, E., Xu, C., and McPherson, T.

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.

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.