Navigating the Water–Energy Nexus: A Mathematical Approach

Abstract

The rising demand for both water and energy has intensified the urgency of addressing the water–energy nexus. Energy is required for water treatment and distribution, and energy production processes require water. The increasing demand for energy requires substantial amounts of water, primarily for cooling. The emergence of new persistent contaminants has necessitated the use of advanced, energy-intensive water treatment methods. Coupled with the energy demands of water distribution, this has significantly strained the already limited energy resources. Regrettably, no straightforward, universal model exists for estimating water usage and energy consumption in power and water treatment plants, respectively. Current approaches rely on data from direct surveys of plant operators, which are often unreliable and incomplete. This has significantly undermined the efficiency of the plants as these surveys often miss out on complex interactions, lack robust predictive power and fail to account for dynamic temporal changes. The study thus aims to evaluate the potential of mathematical modeling and simulation in the water–energy nexus. It formulates a mathematical framework and subsequent simulation in Java programming to estimate the water use in hydroelectric power and geothermal energy, the energy consumption of the advanced water treatment processes focusing on advanced oxidation processes and membrane separation processes and energy demands of water distribution. The importance of mathematical modeling and simulation in the water–energy nexus has been extensively discussed. The paper then addresses the challenges and prospects and provides a way forward. The findings of this study strongly demonstrate the effectiveness of mathematical modeling and simulation in navigating the complexities of the water–energy nexus.