408
15.2.3 Water-Centric Approaches to FEW System Modeling
Conventional water systems planning is primarily concerned with supporting the
development of water resources and manage the distribution of water in time and
space in order to allocate the water supplied by various sources to meet a specific set
of objectives or demands. Most water allocation modeling assumes that there are
always adequate energy supplies available to facilitate the diversion, pumping, and
treatment of water. Few, if any, of the water allocation models, quantify the imposed
energy consumption associated with different water demands. This approach does
not adequately reflect the dynamic interplay between energy and water, especially
Box 15.2 Case Study: Energy–Water Nexus Modeling in South Africa
This case study application (Rodriguez et al. 2017) focuses on incorporating
a representation of water supply and infrastructure costs into an energy systems model (TIMES) to better reflect the interdependent nature of the energy–
water nexus in South Africa; the water supply challenges facing the energy
system are therefore of primary interest.
The water-smart energy systems model (SATIM-W) embeds the various
water supply options in a least-cost optimization procedure for the energy
system, so that the cost of water is captured as energy and water sector investments are planned, and any changes in these investments due to implementing
this nexus approach can be quantified, as compared with taking a siloed view
of the two planning areas.
The results of this case study (e.g., Figs. 15.2 and 15.3) demonstrate the
process and type of tools that can be employed to examine the energy–water
nexus in a national level planning context and the insights that can be gained
from water-smart energy planning.
A number of relevant energy–water policy scenarios in South Africa were
explored, and the results show that specific energy sector policies can have
significant implication for both new investments in water supply infrastructure
and in some cases can lead to stranded energy and water investments, reinforcing the importance of planning in these sectors through a nexus approach.
A key finding of the study is that a national-level energy systems optimization model can be readily regionalized in terms of energy resource supply and
power plant locations, and the regional costs and limitations for water supply
can be incorporated into the energy model to create a water-smart energy sector planning tool.
This work has demonstrated the importance and value of employing an
enhanced modeling tool to better assess the energy–water nexus challenges.
Recommendations for further development of the SATIM-W model and its
wider application for energy and water planning have resulted in additional
areas of improvement of the model to further expand the coverage and insights
that can be obtained.
F. R. Miralles-Wilhelm
15.2.3 Water-Centric Approaches to FEW System Modeling
Conventional water systems planning is primarily concerned with supporting the
development of water resources and manage the distribution of water in time and
space in order to allocate the water supplied by various sources to meet a specific set
of objectives or demands. Most water allocation modeling assumes that there are
always adequate energy supplies available to facilitate the diversion, pumping, and
treatment of water. Few, if any, of the water allocation models, quantify the imposed
energy consumption associated with different water demands. This approach does
not adequately reflect the dynamic interplay between energy and water, especially
Box 15.2 Case Study: Energy–Water Nexus Modeling in South Africa
This case study application (Rodriguez et al. 2017) focuses on incorporating
a representation of water supply and infrastructure costs into an energy systems model (TIMES) to better reflect the interdependent nature of the energy–
water nexus in South Africa; the water supply challenges facing the energy
system are therefore of primary interest.
The water-smart energy systems model (SATIM-W) embeds the various
water supply options in a least-cost optimization procedure for the energy
system, so that the cost of water is captured as energy and water sector investments are planned, and any changes in these investments due to implementing
this nexus approach can be quantified, as compared with taking a siloed view
of the two planning areas.
The results of this case study (e.g., Figs. 15.2 and 15.3) demonstrate the
process and type of tools that can be employed to examine the energy–water
nexus in a national level planning context and the insights that can be gained
from water-smart energy planning.
A number of relevant energy–water policy scenarios in South Africa were
explored, and the results show that specific energy sector policies can have
significant implication for both new investments in water supply infrastructure
and in some cases can lead to stranded energy and water investments, reinforcing the importance of planning in these sectors through a nexus approach.
A key finding of the study is that a national-level energy systems optimization model can be readily regionalized in terms of energy resource supply and
power plant locations, and the regional costs and limitations for water supply
can be incorporated into the energy model to create a water-smart energy sector planning tool.
This work has demonstrated the importance and value of employing an
enhanced modeling tool to better assess the energy–water nexus challenges.
Recommendations for further development of the SATIM-W model and its
wider application for energy and water planning have resulted in additional
areas of improvement of the model to further expand the coverage and insights
that can be obtained.
F. R. Miralles-Wilhelm