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Energy for Water and Desalination

  • Nexus of Food, Water, Energy (R Mohtar, Section Editor)
  • Published:
Current Sustainable/Renewable Energy Reports Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose of Review

Energy to source, condition, transport, treat, and deliver water for human use is significant. Stress from mobile populations, irrigation, and climate change means a need to increase energy efficiency in our water systems. This will save billions of dollars in costs for utilities, farmers, and municipalities, reduce pollution, and increase water security.

Recent Findings

Seawater desalination is now very efficient. More will be gained from improvements to pre- and post-treatment, capital/infrastructure and operations and maintenance (O&M) costs, labor costs, co-location opportunities, and environmental costs. Automation, cost-benefit analysis, and optimization of water deliveries can be developed. Development and implementation of renewable energy and advanced technologies can be used to source, purify, and deliver what were highly impaired source waters for multiple uses.

Summary

The work seeks to improve efficiency and interactions in our energy, water, and industrial systems, increase availability and delivery of water for agriculture, and productively leverage connections between our natural and engineered water systems.

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported by the Texas A&M WEF Nexus initiative.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Water and the Environment, Department of Civil Engineering, University of New Mexico, MSC01 1070, 1 University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, 87131, USA

    E. J. Sullivan Graham

  2. Center for Advanced Energy Studies, Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho Falls, ID, USA

    Noel Baktian

  3. Texas A&M University-Kingsville, Kingsville, TX, USA

    Lucy Mar Camacho & Shankar Chellam

  4. Texas A&M University, Energy Institute, College Station, TX, USA

    Ahmed Mroue

  5. National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Boulder, CO, USA

    Joshua B. Sperling

  6. Chemical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA

    Kevin Topolski

  7. Environmental Engineering, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM, USA

    Pei Xu

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  1. E. J. Sullivan Graham
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to E. J. Sullivan Graham.

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Conflict of Interest

E.J. Sullivan Graham, Noel Baktian, Lucy Mar Camacho, Shankar Chellam, Ahmed Mroue, Joshua B. Sperling, Kevin Topolski, Pei Xu declare no conflicts of interest.

Human and Animal Rights and Informed Consent

This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by any of the authors.

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Nexus of Food, Water, Energy

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Sullivan Graham, E.J., Baktian, N., Camacho, L.M. et al. Energy for Water and Desalination. Curr Sustainable Renewable Energy Rep 4, 109–116 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40518-017-0076-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40518-017-0076-2

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