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Global Knowledge Platform Sustainable Water and Energy Solutions: Addressing Critical Services during the COVID-19 World Crisis and Beyond Scoping Paper July 2020
Global Knowledge Platform
Sustainable Water and Energy Solutions: Addressing Critical
Services during the COVID-19 World Crisis and Beyond
Scoping Paper
July 2020
.
Table of Contents
Executive Summary ................................................................................................................... 6
1. Background ............................................................................................................................ 7
2. The Sustainable Water and Energy Solutions Network and its Global Knowledge Platform
.................................................................................................................................................... 8
3. Addressing Critical Services during the COVID-19 World Crisis and Beyond .................... 9
4. Brief review of efforts on integrated approaches to water and energy ................................ 11
5. Conceptualizing the Global Knowledge Platform ............................................................... 19
5.1 Coordinated global effort and international cooperation ......................................................................... 19
5.2 National and Local Policies, Regulatory Considerations and Institutional Arrangements ...................... 21
5.3 Asymmetries............................................................................................................................................ 23
5.4 Data issues ............................................................................................................................................... 24
5.5. Modelling and analytical tools ............................................................................................................... 25
5.6. Gaps........................................................................................................................................................ 26
5.7. Important Means of Implementation: Financing, Capacity Development and Technology Transfer ..... 27
5.8. Most promising technological areas and innovative systems ................................................................. 28
6. Priority Content: Technologies providing sustainable water and energy solutions ............. 29
6.1 Technological systems using water for energy ........................................................................................ 29
6.2 Technological systems using energy for water ........................................................................................ 35
6.3 Meeting basic water and energy needs of the urban and rural poor –Leave No One Behind .................. 38
7. Operationalizing the Global Knowledge Platform .............................................................. 40
Annex I – Suggested Baseline Reporting Format for Case Studies and Project Profiles ........ 42
Annex II – Compendium of Case Studies on Sustainable Water and Energy Solutions ......... 43
Case Study 1: Generating Hydropower through Sustainable Management of Natural
Resources. (ITAIPU Binacional, Brazil / Paraguay) ............................................................... 44
Case study 2: Sustainable desalinations, renewable energy and energy storage in the Canary
Islands. Canary Islands Institute of Technology, (Canary Islands, Spain) .............................. 46
Case study 3: Water, biomass and energy nexus: electricity generation from sugarcane
biomass in Guatemala: Association of Sugar Producers of Guatemala (ASAZGUA) ............ 48
Case 4: Integrated water and energy solutions for irrigation in rural India. (proposed by
TERI) ....................................................................................................................................... 50
Case study 5: The HydroBalance Project: Energy storage from hydropower in Norway
supporting intermittent renewable electricity generation in Europe (CEDREN/SINTEF) ..... 52
Case study 6: Sustainable Hydropower Plant at Reventazón River in Costa Rica and Biodiversity Protection - Case study provided by International Hydropower Association (IHA) ........................................................................................................................................ 54 Case study 7: Desalination through sustainable water and energy solutions in West Asia ..... 56 Case study 8: Generating clean electricity and contributing to climate change mitigation goals: The Rogun Hydropower Plant, Tajikistan ..................................................................... 58 Case study 9: Resilience of electricity generation from hydropower in Colombia: Coping with the El Niño event and associated drought (2015-2016) ........................................................... 60 Case study 10: Electricity and Clean Water from integrated, self-contained utility systems in Tanzania ................................................................................................................................... 62 Case study 11: Power Generation from Solar Photovoltaic Panels Floating on Water Reservoirs ................................................................................................................................ 64 Case study 12: Sustainable geothermal power generation and heating of greenhouses and spas in Kenya’s Rift Valley ............................................................................................................. 66 Case study 13: Run-of-River Hydropower Generation: Modernization and capacity expansion at Iffezheim Barrage, Rhine River (France and Germany) ...................................................... 68 Case study 14: Sustainable air-conditioning and water heating/cooling systems of seaside commercial buildings using seawater: Victoria and Alfred Waterfront, Cape Town, South Africa ....................................................................................................................................... 70 Case study 15: Generating Hydropower from Water Supply Systems (Melbourne, Australia) .................................................................................................................................................. 72 Case study 16: Energy efficiency and environmental protection in wastewater treatment at the Marselisborg Wastewater Treatment Plant, City of Aarhus, Denmark ................................... 74 Case study 17: Solar powered water desalination for small islands: Rodrigues Island of Mauritius .................................................................................................................................. 76 Case study 18: Hydropower for CO2-free Electric Busesin Old Town of Regensburg, Germany ................................................................................................................................... 78 Case study 19: Purification of rural drinking water supply based on renewable energy. Demonstration project of Massachusetts Institute of Technology in La Mancalona, Calamul Campeche, Yucatan, Mexico ................................................................................................... 80 Case study 20: Ocean current power generation: Example Orbital O2, UK ........................... 82 References and Suggested Readings ........................................................................................ 84
MEMBERS OF SUSTAINABLE WATER AND ENERGY SOLUTIONS NETWORK Ministry Foreign Affairs Tajikistan
Acknowledgements
This document was prepared in support of the Sustainable Water and Energy Solutions Net-
work by the Division for Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations Department of
Economic and Social Affairs. During the initial phase, UN DESA and ITAIPU Binational,
leveraging their on-going partnership on “Sustainable Water and Energy Solutions”, are jointly
providing secretariat services to facilitate operational aspects of the Network, substantively,
logistically and administratively. The views expressed in this document do not necessarily re-
flect those of the United Nations or the organizations mentioned.
5
Executive Summary
The importance of energy and water and their strong interdependence have become more evident
during the COVID-19 world crisis of 2020. Without the critical services of water and energy, the full
spectrum of health services could not be implemented. A catastrophic situation could occur anywhere if
these services were to be disrupted even for a short period of time during a pandemic. In light of the
terrible consequences resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, sustainable water and energy solutions
are viewed as a necessary response during this world health crisis and beyond.
The Sustainable Water and Energy Solutions Network is developing a Global Knowledge Platform
with a view to collect information on activities, case studies and systems being implemented or planned
using an integrated approach to water and energy challenges. It is expected to gather relevant data and
facilitate information exchange worldwide. The Platform will help to disseminate knowledge about the
synergies that can be realized when integrated approaches are used to tackle water and energy services,
including during world health crises.
The main objective of this scoping paper is to provide preliminary recommendations for the possible
scope, priority content and structure of the envisioned Global Knowledge Platform. The scoping paper
presents a summary review of efforts being undertaken around the world at international, regional and
national levels on integrated and efficient approaches to water and energy. While there has been signifi-
cant progress at all levels to address the water-energy interlinkage, there also remain considerable asym-
metries and gaps. In many cases relevant data are missing, and available modelling and analytical tools
still have limited use, especially in developing countries. The scoping paper points to the need for a
coordinated global effort to further advance national policies and institutional arrangements to promote
integrated sustainable water and energy solutions.
The scope of the Global Knowledge Platform on Sustainable Water and Energy Solutions could in-
clude the following main categories: coordinated global efforts and international cooperation; national
policies, regulatory considerations and institutional arrangements; asymmetries; data issues; modelling
and analytical tools; gaps; means of implementation (financing, capacity development and technology
transfer); and technological areas and innovative systems. The Knowledge Platform could be structured
following these categories allowing for a very wide range of areas and subjects for users to select in their
searches. The priority content for the Knowledge Platform could be about the emerging potential core of
integrated systems and innovative technologies supporting sustainable water and energy solutions that
offer the best opportunities to realize synergies and efficiencies.
6
1. Background
Water and energy are key preconditions necessary to ensure the health and safety of
for human life on earth, and fundamental the world population especially during a
for economic and social development. Most pandemic. Electricity is particularly critical
forms of energy generation need water, to run health equipment and facilities and
whether for powering turbines, transferring for refrigeration of medicines and vaccines.
heat, cooling machines, or growing bio- It is also indispensable for knowledge dis-
mass and fuel crops on irrigated land. At the semination and public emergency prepared-
same time, all modern systems that provide ness. Clean water is essential for drinking,
water for drinking, industrial production, or hand washing, sanitation and for food secu-
irrigation, and all systems that treat rity. The interdependent relationship be-
wastewater for reuse depend on energy for tween water and energy services is consid-
pumping, transport and processing. ered a major factor and priority for the ef-
fective planning and response to pandem-
With continuing population growth, ics. (NIAC, 2007) Integrated water and en-
further expansion of industrialized and de- ergy solutions represent an innovative ap-
veloping economies, and plans for acceler- proach that allows the achievement of syn-
ated provision of access to water, energy, ergies for the effective management of
and sanitation for the urban and rural poor, these basic services. International coopera-
global needs for water and energy are pro- tion for implementation of integrated water
jected to continue to grow rapidly. More ef- and energy solutions is necessary to support
ficient water and energy systems will be the health and safety of the global popula-
needed for enabling sustainable develop- tion. Private intervention and actions could
ment. The needs for additional sustainable also play an important role in supporting
water and energy supplies are high in most public efforts. Potential sustainable water
developing countries, particularly in the and energy solutions and their positive im-
least developed countries. pacts on health services could ensure a
more effective and robust response to
The interdependency of water and en- health crises and subsequently a more resil-
ergy has significant implications for both ient and better economic recovery.
water and energy security. Understanding
the interlinkages at global, regional, na- Integrating climate change and pan-
tional, and local levels is crucial to antici- demic concerns into policy and project de-
pate future stress points, formulate rational cision activities makes addressing the water
policies, select appropriate technologies, and energy future more complex and chal-
manage risks, realize valuable synergies, lenging. However, innovative water and en-
and prevent eventual conflicts. ergy integrated systems represent valuable
opportunities for mitigation and adaptation
The importance of energy and water to climate change and for ensuring effective
and their strong interdependence have be- availability of these critical services during
come more evident during the COVID-19 the COVID-19 world crisis and beyond.
world crisis of 2020. These are key services
Water and energy: Goals of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
In September 2015, the United Nations Agenda for Sustainable Development. The
General Assembly adopted the 2030 2030 Agenda sets out 17 Sustainable
7
Development Goals (SDGs) and a total of water (SDG 6) and for energy (SDG 7).
169 related targets designed to stimulate Progress on SDG 6 and SDG 7 will need to
concrete actions over a 15-year period. The take into account SDG 13, which calls for
2030 Agenda provides the framework for a urgent action to combat climate change and
comprehensive plan of action that, if imple- its impacts, as well as other SDGs. There
mented with vigour and without delay, are also major implications that will need to
could help eradicate poverty and ensure be considered related to the reliability of
sustainable development. The 2030 Agenda water and energy services during world
recognizes the central role that water and health crises such as the COVID-19 pan-
energy play in advancing sustainable devel- demic.
opment by having dedicated SDGs for
2. The Sustainable Water and Energy Solutions Network and its Global Knowledge
Platform
Historically, most public and private (HLPF) on Sustainable Development.
sector investment decisions on the develop- Itaipu is the Bi-National organization estab-
ment use of water or energy resources or lished by the Governments of Brazil and
their infrastructures are typically taken in- Paraguay to harness the hydropower of the
dependently, focusing solely on immediate Paraná River. With a total power generation
needs of the project or respective business of 2.6 billion megawatt-hours since 1984,
sector. Business decisions are also guided the Itaipu Hydropower Plant is the world’s
primarily by concerns related to immediate largest generator of hydropower (Itaipu,
or near-term financial viability, sometimes 2018a) (Itaipu, 2018b).
without taking external factors or long-term
effects into account such as climate change. As of May 2020, fourteen additional
partners organizations had already joined
Recognizing the need to address the in- the Sustainable Water and Energy Solu-
terlinkages between water and energy in a tions Network including: UNFCCC,
more systematic manner, the UN Depart- UNECE, UNESCWA, UN-HABITAT,
ment of Economic and Social Affairs (UN Ministry of Ecological Transition Spain,
DESA) and Itaipu Binacional jointly Ministry of Foreign Affairs Tajikistan,
launched a new sustainable development IRENA, Asazgua (Guatemala), National
initiative entitled “Sustainable Water and Water Agency Brazil, TERI School of Ad-
Energy Solutions Network” in December vanced Studies (India), SINTEF (Norway),
2018. UN DESA serves as the Secretariat to IIASA, International Hydropower Associa-
the intergovernmental consultations on sus- tion and World Energy Council. Several
tainable development at the United Nations, more members are expected to commit to
including the High-level Political Forum the Network and its mission in the near fu-
ture.
Objectives of the Network
The goal of this multi-stakeholder Net- integrated approach to SDG 6 and SDG 7 in
work is to provide a global platform for all support of the SDGs achievement. As laid
stakeholders to enhance capacities and sig- out by the founding members of the Net-
nal their high-level commitment to the work, the specific objectives are to:
8
• Share practices, experiences and quality effectively manage the water-energy in-
data on the water-energy interlinkages terlinkages and their implementation on
and their contributions to other SDGs. other SDGs
• Mobilise and scale up multi-stakeholder In light of the terrible consequences re-
action aimed at stimulating integrated sulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, sus-
water-energy response addressing cross tainable water and energy solutions are
cultural in other developing countries viewed as a necessary response during this
world health crisis and beyond, particularly
• Enhance advocacy, communication and in those nations and communities where
outreach to help countries conduct evi- benefits from integrated water and energy
dence-based dialogues and facilitate solutions could be critical to health services
broad-based implementation of SDG 6 and to save lives. Therefore, the Network
and SDG 7, while simultaneously ad- will concentrate efforts in supporting the
vancing SDG 13 and other SDGs. world community in its search for trans-
formative pathways to achieve universal
• Strengthen capacity building with a fo- access to these critical services to promote
cus on planning, designing, implement- the develop and availability of affordable
ing and monitoring of policies, regula- and efficient integrated systems that max-
tions, business models and investment to imize the reliability of these services.
The Global Knowledge Platform on Sustainable Water and Energy Solutions
In addition to the previously mentioned related to integrated approaches to sustain-
objectives, the Network is developing a able water, energy and sanitation in a world
Global Knowledge Platform on Sustainable that could be affected by pandemics such as
Water and Energy Solutions. This online the COVID-19. The Platform will help to
Global Platform is necessary to collect, disseminate knowledge about the synergies
store and classify data, statistics, modelling that can be realized when integrated ap-
techniques, and information on activities, proaches are used to tackle these critical
case studies and practices being imple- services including during world health cri-
mented or planned using an integrated ap- ses. Users will also have the opportunity to
proach to water and energy challenges. learn and discuss innovative technological
systems designed to promote efficient and
The Platform will provide a valuable effective use of available resources for a
mechanism for the exchange and dissemi- more resilient recovery to COVID-19.
nation of knowledge and experiences
3. Addressing Critical Services during the COVID-19 World Crisis and Beyond
The COVID-19 pandemic in record importance of high-capacity, robust and re-
time has brought immense tragedy reflected liable health systems, programmes, medical
by the large number of people who have equipment and infrastructures as well as the
died or have become seriously ill and the availability of relevant medications, mate-
devastating impacts to the world economy. rials and personal protective equipment for
The crisis has made evident to everyone the health professionals and for the public in
9general. Additionally, the negative impacts energy utilities could be disrupted as well
from the pandemic have brought to the top as a number of essential inputs needed to
of the agenda of policymakers and deci- either generate electricity or to treat water.
sionmakers the need for comprehensive Recurrent catastrophic events such as
contingency plans and preparations for the droughts and hurricanes could happen con-
world to be able to successfully confront currently with COVID-19 type of crises af-
this type of crisis now and in the future. fecting water and energy services and mak-
ing the situation even worse. Some of these
Behind reliable health programmes, events are becoming more intense and fre-
there are a number of critical services, quent in different world regions as a result
sometimes taken for granted, without which of climate change. Although critical water
the full spectrum of health services could and energy industries plan for a variety of
not be executed. These critical services in- contingencies, including pandemics,
clude water and energy. A catastrophic sit- COVID-19 is revealing the vulnerabilities
uation of a monumental dimension could of multiple contingency scenarios even in
occur if these services were to be disrupted developed countries. Modifying contin-
anywhere even for a short period of time gency plans for severe weather responses
during a pandemic. may be necessary, given that the baseline
assumptions of these plans do not reflect
Water is essential for washing hands, the human and other capacity constraints
for medical procedures, for medicines and imposed by pandemic conditions.
for adequate hygiene and sanitation. Addi-
tionally, water is indispensable for many The effective management of the inter-
energy systems such as electric generating dependence between water and energy is
power plants. Energy is needed for lighting, very important and critical for the world
for refrigeration, for space heating and population particularly during a world
cooling, and for communication. Energy is health crisis. The world reliance on water
also necessary for water supply, distribu- and energy has never been more evident
tion and treatment and for disposal and re- than during the COVID19 world crisis in
cycling. Therefore, the availability and reli- 2020. The sustainability of systems sup-
ability of water services are closely related porting world health services, the world
to the availability and reliability of energy economy and the population at large should
services and vice-versa. And without en- be based on maximizing resilience and effi-
ergy and water services not only the health ciency of water and energy resources.
services can be compromised but also the Therefore, sustainable water and energy so-
food chain. lutions represent a necessary response to
the COVID19 crisis.
As the pandemic progresses around the
world and if the crisis continues over many There is a vast potential for improve-
months or years, water and energy services ment in the way the world harnesses water
could be at risk. As a matter of fact, there is and energy resources. Integrated water-en-
little information on the impacts that an ex- ergy systems could provide the added effi-
tended world health crisis could have on ciency and the added access necessary to
critical services such as water and energy. ensure the safety and well-being of the
The essential workforce in water and world population.
Scoping Paper Objective
10The main objective of this scoping pa- making and in the implementation of pro-
per is to provide preliminary recommenda- jects and programmes for sustainable de-
tions for the scope, structure and priority velopment taking into consideration cli-
content for the envisioned Global mate change. A compendium of twenty se-
Knowledge Platform of the Sustainable lected case studies is included as an annex
Water and Energy Solutions Network. The that serves to exemplify activities and expe-
recommendations represent the result of a riences using integrated approaches to wa-
review of relevant efforts on integrated ap- ter and energy.
proaches to water and energy in decision
4. Brief review of efforts on integrated approaches to water and energy
The relevant review performed for this The experiences and activities related to
Scoping Paper confirmed the global con- the water-energy nexus are extensive and
sensus that water and energy are strongly cover all sectors of the economy including
interlinked and highly interdependent and the service, residential, commercial, indus-
both are key factors in pursuing sustainable trial, manufacturing, agriculture, and
development and climate change objec- transport sectors. Examples are found that
tives. Looking into the future, water and en- show the active and direct involvement of
ergy demand will continue increasing due all stakeholders including the public and
to expected population growth and progress private sectors and partnerships.
towards sustainable development. The
global discussion on an integrated approach Many innovative approaches are being
to water and energy has intensified after tried to address the water-energy nexus.
2011. Since then, many efforts have been Some of these integrated systems are still in
initiated and have increased. These efforts the developing stage and will need demon-
cover many communities, cities and coun- stration and commercialization. Neverthe-
tries and all the world regions including de- less, a potential core of integrated systems
veloping and developed regions. Major en- and technologies is emerging that offer the
ergy and water international organizations best opportunities to realize synergies and
are playing an important role in creating efficiencies and that could more effectively
awareness and advancing research and support the global goals on sustainable de-
analysis on this subject. As expected, a velopment and climate change. These
large number of efforts are happening in promising systems focus on specific areas
countries or regions with limited water of both water and energy cycles that could
and/or energy resources and where ex- benefit the most from an integrated ap-
pected economic and population growths in proach. New renewable energy technolo-
the future imply a major increase in the de- gies that require less water per unit of en-
mand for clean water and modern energy ergy produced represent an advantage over
services. Furthermore, the COVID-19 crisis water-intensive energy technologies in-
in 2020 has brought to the attention of pol- cluding fossil fuels systems, and therefore
icymakers the importance of reliable water are favoured given the overall global goals
and energy services and their interdepend- and concerns about climate change and the
ence and the role that integrated sustainable need for efficient water-energy systems in
water and energy solutions could play dur- response to the COVI-19 crisis. Water pro-
ing world health crises allowing synergies cessing and supply systems that use renew-
and efficiencies that can be critical to save able energy or that have major potential for
lives. enhanced energy efficiency are also
11favoured. Unconventional water and en- services should not be subject to any type
ergy recovery are other promising options. of risk during world health crises.
These integrated solutions represent a Harnessing political enthusiasm is nec-
rich spectrum of opportunities for a better essary for integrated clean energy and water
recovery and a more resilient world after and related infrastructure to be supported
COVID-19. Returning to the path of inde- by new lasting regulatory reforms. This
pendent and inefficient solutions for water represents an opportunity to turn the
and energy should not be an option. Many COVID-19 world crisis into a transforma-
synergies and efficiencies can be realized tive moment to induce sustainable and inte-
for the wellbeing and safety of future gen- grated services on water, energy and sanita-
erations. The crisis can lead to the transfor- tion for all. This includes accelerating the
mational changes needed to build more eq- development and implementation of sus-
uitable societies equipped with more inte- tainable water and energy solutions at a uni-
grated, efficient and resilient water and en- versal level and ensuring that no one is left
ergy services based on policy frameworks behind. The world needs integrated water
that support SDG 6 and SDG 7. A new and energy solutions with sufficient surge
world order points towards water and en- or redundant capacity to withstand cata-
ergy services becoming an essential part of strophic events such as world health crises.
the social protection systems and these
Efforts at the international level
UNESCO and the World Water Assess-
The international community of experts ment Programme dedicated the 2014 edi-
both on water and on energy has recognized tion of the UN World Water Development
the importance of this integrated approach Report to a comprehensive study on Water
as evidenced by the large number of re- and Energy. The report assesses both the
search activities and studies published in energy and the water situations, their inter-
the last decade. Important international or- linkages and data related issues. It includes
ganizations specialized in the issues of wa- thematic sections addressing infrastructure,
ter and energy which have conducted rele- industry, cities, agriculture and ecosystems.
vant activities and are involved in current It also includes regional analysis and iden-
efforts include: UNESCO/World Water As- tified responses. The second part of the re-
sessment Programme, the International En- port presents case studies from five regions
ergy Agency, the World Bank, the Interna- (UNESCO, 2014). A follow-up UN World
tional Institute for Applied Systems Analy- Water Development Report analysing re-
sis (IIASA), the International Renewable cent trends was published in 2019
Energy Agency (IRENA), the World Re- (UNESCO, 2019).
sources Institute (WRI), the UN Economic
Commission for Europe (UNECE), among The International Energy Agency (IEA)
others. Other major research efforts that efforts before 2016 had focused on the im-
could be classified at the international level pact of water availability on different pro-
are being conducted by academia with re- cesses of the energy sector and on the en-
search activities of interest to nations all ergy sector’s impact on water quality and
over the world. quantity. The IEA published a report in
2016 entitled Water Energy Nexus as an ex-
The following paragraphs provide brief cerpt of the World Energy Outlook (WEO).
summaries of selected examples of relevant The report further assesses the nexus by
efforts at the international level. providing a systematic global estimate of
the amount of energy used to supply water
12to consumers. Future energy requirements opportunities in the future. The report men-
in water systems such as desalination, tions the successful implementation of this
wastewater treatment and water distribution integrated system in some countries includ-
are described within the context of two ing Malaysia, Japan, and in Montalegre,
modelling scenarios of the IEA’s World Portugal where the first-ever hydropower-
Energy Outlook (IEA, 2016a and 2016b). connected floating solar is already operat-
In 2018 IEA published the Energy, Water ing (World Bank, 2018d).
and the Sustainable Development Goals, as
an excerpt from the World Energy Outlook The International Institute for Applied
2018. The report presents an analysis quan- Systems Analysis (IIASA) has been leading
tifying the water needs of the energy-re- a major project on Integrated Solutions for
lated SDGs and the energy required to fulfil Water, Energy and Land (ISWEL). Within
SDG 6 on water and the links and synergies this project, researchers from IIASA’s pro-
between water and energy. The analysis is grammes on Water, Energy and Transitions
based on the WEO Sustainable Develop- to New Technologies have collaborated in
ment Scenario that now includes the water the development of new pathways showing
dimension (IEA, 2018b). The IEA pub- how the world can develop water and en-
lished a report in May 2020 summarizing ergy infrastructures consistent with the
the impacts of the COVID-19 crisis on the Paris Agreement and the Sustainable De-
global energy demand and CO2 emissions. velopment Goal 6 on water (IIASA, 2019).
The report found a major shift towards low-
carbon sources of electricity including The International Renewable Energy
wind, solar PV, hydropower and nuclear Agency (IRENA) has analysed how renew-
during the COVID-19 crisis. The situation able energy technologies can address trade-
shows the potential that energy efficiency offs between water, energy and food, bring-
and renewables have as pillars for a possi- ing substantial benefits in all three key sec-
ble clean energy transition that could create tors. IRENA’s workstream on the nexus
jobs, enhance economic competitiveness produced an in-depth overview report on
and improve the resilience of energy sys- renewable energy in the water, energy and
tems. (IEA, 2020a) food nexus in 2015 (IRENA, 2015), fol-
lowed by more focused work on solar-
The World Bank conducted an initiative pumping for irrigation in 2016 (IRENA,
entitled “Thirsty Energy” during the 2014- 2016a). Additionally, IRENA has exam-
2018 period in order to address challenges ined the potential for renewables-based de-
related to energy and water resource plan- salination to address the need for sustaina-
ning. The effort consisted of activities at the ble water supply in the Gulf Cooperation
global and at country levels designed to Council (GCC) (IRENA, 2016b). Also,
raise awareness about the water-energy IRENA has studied the water-energy-nexus
challenges, identify synergies and quantify issue in short quantitative country analyses
trade-offs, coordinate decision making and on the impact of renewables and efficient
pilot water-smart energy planning tools. cooling technologies on water use in the na-
The initiative also promoted dialogue tional power sectors of China (IRENA,
among international organizations, govern- 2016c) and India (IRENA, 2018).
ments and the private sector (World Bank,
2018a). The World Bank also published a The World Resources Institute (WRI)
very relevant report in 2018 entitled Where published a report entitled Water-Energy
the Sun meets Water: Floating Solar Mar- Nexus: Business Risks and Rewards in
ket Report which describes how this emerg- 2016. The report assesses emerging risks
ing energy-water integrated system works and offers ideas for finding solutions at the
and the potential market, benefits and water-energy nexus. It examines two
13specific questions: Where are companies deployment: Trade-offs and opportunities
facing risks at the nexus of water and en- with water resources and the environment.
ergy resource challenges? and What are the This “tool-kit” publication proposes a prag-
opportunities for companies to reduce ex- matic approach to support policy-makers
posure to these risks and meet customers’ in: enhancing cooperation on renewable en-
needs in tomorrow’s markets? (WRI, 2016) ergy across sectors including water; explor-
The United Nations Economic Com- ing co-financing and partnership opportuni-
mission for Europe (UNECE) published in ties; maximizing and multiplying the bene-
fits of renewables; and reducing their nega-
2020 a report entitled Towards sustainable tive impact on the environment and local
renewable energy investment and communities.
Efforts at the regional level
poorly endowed with conventional energy
Integrated water and energy solutions at from fossil fuels; whilst other parts of the
the regional level are being implemented in sub-region are rich in energy resources, but
all the world regions. Important examples suffer from a chronic shortage of water for
are: the Itaipu Binacional Hydropower agriculture and human consumption. The
Plant of Paraguay and Brazil in Latin dependence of sustainable development of
America, efforts of sub-regional coopera- the Central Asia sub-region on the coordi-
tion in the use of water and energy re- nated development and use of energy and
sources in Central Asia, the desalination ef- water resources is very well recognized by
forts in the countries of the West Asia re- the policy decision makers in Tajikistan and
gion and the GCC, and the Strategic Energy its central Asian neighbouring countries.
Technologies (SET) Plan of the European The Governments of Central Asia sub-re-
Commission. gion actively participate in the relevant in-
ternational and sub-regional consultative
In Latin America, Itaipu Binacional, a mechanisms with a view to coordinate the
world example of successful regional inte- planning, development, and maintenance of
gration, operates the Itaipu Hydropower the national and regional water and energy
Plant which is the largest generator of hy- infrastructure and the day-to-day manage-
dropower in the world. In 2018 the plant ment of the energy and water resources. In
generated 90 per cent of the electricity con- June 2018, the Government of Tajikistan
sumed in Paraguay and 15 per cent of the hosted the first High-Level International
electricity consumed in Brazil. Its sustaina- Conference on the International Decade for
ble development strategy recognizes that Action “Water for Sustainable Develop-
integrated water resource management and ment” 2018-2028 in Dushanbe to advance
territorial development are indispensable integrated decision making on water and
components of a comprehensive and con- energy at all local, national, regional and in-
sistent approach that supports the sustaina- ternational levels.
ble use of natural resources while address-
ing climate change. Also, its integrated ac- Water desalination is a crucial process
tions and programmes supporting social for the countries of the ESCWA region
well-being, economic growth and environ- which have very limited access to freshwa-
mental protection, are contributing to re- ter resources such as Gulf countries, as well
gional prosperity in Paraguay and Brazil as some Arab countries including Libya and
(Itaipu, 2019). Algeria. Therefore, rapid increases in in-
stalled desalination capacity have taken
In Central Asia, some parts of the sub- place in the last two decades. Though desal-
region are rich in water resources, but ination is an energy-intensive process, by
14powering it with renewable energy, some of The increase in reverse osmosis can serve
its drawbacks can be overcome. In addition, as an opportunity for greater integration of
renewable energy desalination has the ad- renewables, such as solar PV and wind, as
vantage of reduced GHG emissions. Re- they become cost-effective alternatives to
newable energy desalination plants are op- fossil-fuel-based electricity generation.
erational in Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, and (IRENA, 2019)
the United Arab Emirates (UAE), but they
are mostly of pilot size and do not amount Another important regional initiative
to full utility scale production. Currently, has been undertaken by the European
Al Khafji reverse osmosis membrane desal- Commission. In 2008, the European Com-
ination plant in Saudi Arabia is the world’s mission adopted the Strategic Energy Tech-
first large-scale 15 MW photo-voltaic (PV) nologies (SET) Plan with the goal to har-
solar-powered desalination plant. This monize Europe’s energy technology poli-
plant delivers 60,000 m3 of desalinated sea- cies. The Strategic Energy Technologies In-
water per day, ensuring a regular supply of formation System (SETIS) was established
water to the surrounding province the as a platform for information exchange in a
whole year around. In Dubai, an operational total of 10 SET areas, including renewa-
PV solar-powered RO desalination station, bles, smart solutions for consumers, resili-
at the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum ence and secure energy systems, energy ef-
Solar Park, delivers 50 m3 per day. In Abu ficiency in buildings, energy efficiency in
Dhabi, ADWEA is spearheading the trend industry, batteries and e-mobility, renewa-
and constructing the world’s largest facility ble fuels and bioenergy, carbon capture, uti-
of this type in Taweela, with a generation lisation and storage, nuclear safety, and in-
capacity of 900,000 m3 per day. Oman has tegrated roadmaps. Although SETIS fo-
put in place reverse osmosis in both the Sal- cuses on energy technologies, it also ex-
alah Integrated Water and Power Plant and plored the relevance on the water-energy
the Barka II Power and Desalination Plant. nexus for EU policies.
Efforts at the national level
Many countries are implementing inte- electric power supply and its desalination
grated solutions to water and energy in all system. With the support of the Australian
the world regions. Selected examples that Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA), the
illustrate some of these efforts are briefly Rottnest Island Water and Renewable En-
described below. The examples show the ergy Nexus (WREN) Project installed inte-
wide range of programmes, arrangements, grated additional solar panels and wind tur-
technologies and systems that are being bines into the local island water and energy
used to address the water-energy-nexus and supply system. Whenever power supply
the many stakeholders that need to work to- from renewable exceeds local demand, ex-
gether to achieve progress towards SDG 6 cess power is used for the desalination sys-
and SDG 7. tem. The WREN project has greatly helped
to make the Rottnest Island water and elec-
In many remote parts of Australia, the tricity supply system more sustainable
provision of sustainable water and energy (Thomson, L., et al, 2017).
supply poses formidable challenges. One of
the recent successful projects was imple- In spite of significant progress in recent
mented by Hydro Tasmania on Rottnest Is- years, Bolivia remains one of the poorest
land, which is located off the city of Perth countries in Latin America and the Carib-
in Western Australia. The island previously bean. Access to clean drinking water,
depended mostly on fossil fuels for its local wastewater disposal, and affordable and
15reliable electric power is still severely con- property developers use new and improved
strained, particularly in the remote rural ar- insulation and ventilation, solar thermal and
eas of the country. In addition to seeking to photovoltaic panels, as well as aerothermal
achieve the SDGs, the Government of Bo- heat pumps, together with smart automation
livia has also announced the Patriotic and other water and energy saving
Agenda 2025, which sets out a more ambi- measures to reduce energy cost and to help
tious time frame for sustainable develop- their buyers and tenants to realize energy
ment. Within the framework of a compre- and water savings (Natural Resources De-
hensive water-energy-food nexus project fence Council, and Adapt Chile, 2019).
the German International Cooperation
Agency (GIZ) is assisting local authorities In order to better assess the water-en-
and village communities in Bolivia with ca- ergy nexus challenge in China, the World
pacity building and with the installation of Bank’s Thirsty Energy Initiative engaged
small-scale fixed and mobile solar-photo- the China Institute for Water Resources
voltaic powered pumps for irrigation sys- (IWHR), the Ministry of Water Resources,
tems (GIZ, 2018). and the Tsinghua University (TU) to estab-
lish a multi-regional, water-smart energy
The Government of Cabo Verde is im- system planning model, also known as the
plementing its Strategic Plan for Sustaina- TIMES-ChinaW model. The Government
ble Development, which sets out 39 ambi- of China is increasingly aware of the com-
tious development targets for the period plex interdependencies between water and
2017-2021. Cabo Verde has greatly ad- energy. China’s rapid economic develop-
vanced on integrated development planning ment has been accompanied by a similar
related to energy and water. The country rapid increase in energy supply and de-
has already made very significant progress mand, which is dominated by coal, result-
to supply its 10 islands and its 500,000 in- ing in significant air pollution and carbon
habitants with sustainable energy from re- dioxide emissions. The coal energy supply
newable sources, including wind and solar. chain is water intensive. The water-energy
Independent power producers, local utili- nexus challenge is further complicated by
ties, and public-private partnerships con- the fact that the majority of the planned new
tribute to a balanced power supply, and to energy projects are located in four Northern
the desalination of water. The Government provinces of China which have the country
is also pursuing plans to harness geothermal significant energy resources but are also
energy on Fogo Island. Funding has report- among the most water-stressed areas. The
edly also been secured to initiate a commer- modelling of alternative scenarios enabled
cial ocean wave energy project (IRENA, decision makers in China to optimise in-
2014, Government of Cabo Verde, 2017). vestments and policies with a view to en-
sure sustainable energy supply at reduced
Chile’s capital city of Santiago and its levels of water withdrawal and consump-
metropolitan region is facing great chal- tion, whilst also remaining within projected
lenges in its water management which trajectories of limited CO2 emissions
likely will be further exacerbated by cli- (World Bank, 2018b).
mate change in the future. Energy con-
sumption and urban air pollution also pose Ethiopia is one of the first developing
growing problems. In response, many ur- countries which has established integrated
ban property developers in Santiago de institutional arrangements for the coordi-
Chile have already adopted various nated management of water and energy. In
measures and technologies that make their Ethiopia, the Ministry of Water, Irrigation
condominium units not only more comfort- and Electricity is in charge of all the activi-
able but also more energy efficient. Many ties, planning and infrastructures related to
16water and electricity, as well as sanitation, saving energy and water, whilst also reduc-
allowing for an effective approach to the ing GHG emissions from the agricultural
water-energy nexus. sector (Energy Efficiency Services Ltd, In-
dia, 2019). An analysis by IRENA and WRI
In Guatemala, the Guatemalan Sugar indicates that using renewables and im-
Industry is a long-time committed agroin- proved cooling technologies by 2030, the
dustry with sustainable environmental and water withdrawal intensity of the electricity
social practices. Not only has it improved generation (excluding hydropower) could
its hydric resource management practices, be reduced by up to 84%, consumption in-
having reduced by 70% the water used in tensity by up to 25%, and CO2 intensity by
the mills in the last 5 years, it has also in- up to 43% in comparison to the 2014 base-
vested more than any other industry in the line (IRENA, 2018).
country in Research and Development,
leading to innovative practices and solu- Over the past 50 years, Japan has expe-
tions, on field and in the mill, that are of the rienced both increasingly severe local
utmost importance to achieve the sustaina- floods, as well as droughts, whilst the aver-
bility of the sector. R&D has allowed the age annual precipitation has shown signs of
Guatemalan Sugar Industry to evolve and a gradual decrease over time. Enhancing
innovate, which is why it not only produces the resilience of municipal water supply
sugar, but also renewable energy and alco- and sanitation systems has been an im-
hol (ethanol). Another exemplary contribu- portant priority over many years. Some of
tion of the Guatemalan Sugar Industry to the country's water supply and sanitation
the country was the creation of the Institute systems are already aging. Seismic activity
for Climate Change Research (ICC), now and earthquakes add additional challenges.
an autonomous organization, as it has be- In Japan, municipal water utilities are im-
come a leader on research and project de- plementing continuous programmes of leak
velopment to mitigate and adapt to climate detection and water supply and sanitation
change in communities, productive pro- piping maintenance and repairs. These pro-
cesses and the region’s infrastructure. All grammes have greatly helped to minimize
based on science and technical knowledge. leakage and the associated water (and en-
ergy) losses. International sharing of tech-
In many regions of India, the agricul- nologies on resilient water supply and sani-
tural sector relies on old and inefficient tation is one of the important areas of
pumps for irrigation. Most farmers cannot Japan's international development coopera-
afford modern pumps. Inefficient pumps tion programmes.
consume much energy and require frequent
expensive repairs. During recent years, En- Access to clean and affordable drinking
ergy Efficiency Services Ltd, a public sec- water is a great challenge particularly in ru-
tor company of the Government of India, ral areas of developing countries. In La
implemented a comprehensive agricultural Mancalona, a small rural village with 450
demand side management programme. The inhabitants on the Yucatan peninsula in
programme offers farmers to replace old Mexico, researchers of the Massachusetts
pumps with modern energy efficient ones, Institute of Technology (MIT), with finan-
which can save energy, and be operated by cial support of the W.K. Kellogg Founda-
remote control thus only using water when tion, have helped to set up a 1,000 liters per
really needed. Under the programme, farm- day prototype solar photovoltaic-powered
ers would pay for the new pumps in instal- reverse osmosis (PVRO) water purification
ments which are the same or lower than station. The system uses solar panels to
their electricity bill savings. The pro- charge batteries, which then power pumps
gramme provided win-win-win solutions, that push brackish well water and collected
17rainwater through filtration membranes. carried out by the Energy Research Center
The batteries also supply the ultraviolet of the University of Cape Town (UCT) as a
sterilization bulbs with electricity. Villag- part of the World Bank’s Thirsty Energy In-
ers have been trained to operate the PVRO itiative (World Bank, 2017). The research
system. The water purification station has incorporated water supply and infrastruc-
created a viable business opportunity for ture costs into the energy model SATIM to
the village (MIT News, 2015). better reflect the interdependence of water
and energy. The modelling effort has
Morocco has merged the two public demonstrated the multiple benefits of ra-
utilities in charge of water (National Office tional and integrated long-term planning of
for Potable Water) and electricity (National water and energy infrastructure invest-
Electricity Office) by creating an integrated ments. As shown by the model, some addi-
utility (National Agency for Electricity and tional investments in the energy sector can
Potable Water). A national programme for realize significant saving and benefits in the
promoting solar pumping in water-saving water sector.
projects for irrigation has been developed.
It has a budget of about US$ 40 million and In Tajikistan, decision making on en-
foresees the development of 3,000 PV ergy and water falls under the authority of
pumping systems with a total peak installed the Ministry of Energy and Water Re-
capacity of 15 MW. The objective is to im- sources of the Republic of Tajikistan. Ta-
prove agricultural yield and productivity, jikistan relies primarily on hydropower for
while saving on water and energy. its electricity generation. Once completed,
the Rogun Hydropower plant will be one of
In order to ensure coordinated invest- the biggest hydropower plants in Central
ment in infrastructure and a sustainable pro- Asia. Its first unit was launched in 2018 and
duction, distribution, and consumption of the second one was commissioned in Sep-
both water and energy, the Government of tember 2019. The Rogun Plant will include
Norway established the Norwegian Water six hydraulic units with a total capacity of
Resources and Energy Directorate (NVE) 3,600 MW and it is designed as a multi-pur-
in 1921. Today, NVE is a Directorate under pose dam for generating electricity, regulat-
the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy and ing water, and reducing the risk of floods
is responsible for the management of the and droughts.
country’s water and energy resources. NVE
aims to ensure an integrated and environ- The United States Department of En-
mentally sound management of the coun- ergy is leading a national effort on the Wa-
try’s water system, promote efficient en- ter-Energy Nexus and in 2014 published a
ergy markets and cost-effective energy sys- comprehensive report on this issue
tems, and contribute to efficient use of en- (USDOE, 2014). The effort recognizes the
ergy. NVE engages in public consultations challenges and opportunities around the
wherever needed, supports research and de- water-energy nexus and promotes technical
velopment, including on climate change, cooperation on this subject among relevant
and implements its own international devel- stakeholders. One of the main projects is
opment assistance programme on water and “The Water Security Grand Challenge” that
energy (NVE, 2019). provides funding prizes for innovative tech-
nological systems for desalination, small
South Africa is one of the first devel- modular energy-water, wastewater to en-
oping countries in Africa that has con- ergy, and low water impact thermoelectric
ducted a comprehensive national water and plants.
energy modelling study. The study was
185. Conceptualizing the Global Knowledge Platform
The relevant review performed for this Solutions could include eight main areas:
Scoping Paper serves as the basis for con- (1) coordinated global efforts and interna-
ceptualizing the Global Knowledge Plat- tional cooperation; (2) national policies,
form and for proposing its possible scope, regulatory considerations and institutional
structure and priority content. The online arrangements; (3) asymmetries; (4) data is-
Knowledge Platform will be used to estab- sues; (5) modelling and analytical tools; (6)
lish a comprehensive mapping of, and serve gaps; (7) means of implementation (financ-
as a gateway for, information on existing ing, capacity development, technology
global efforts, national policies, regulatory transfer); and (8) most promising technol-
considerations, institutional arrangements, ogy areas and innovative systems. The
data, analytical tools and innovative tech- Knowledge Platform could be structured
nological systems related to integrated wa- following the same categories allowing for
ter and energy solutions. It will build on rel- a very wide range of areas and subjects for
evant existing work and mechanisms ad- users to select in their searches. The prior-
dressing water and energy. The Knowledge ity content of the Knowledge Platform
Platform will also facilitate access to infor- could be about the emerging potential core
mation, knowledge and experience, as well of integrated innovative systems and tech-
as lessons learned on other key means of nologies supporting sustainable water and
implementation including financing, tech- energy solutions that offer the best opportu-
nology transfer and capacity building. As- nities to realize synergies and efficiencies
pects of the platform content will be ad- and that could more effectively support the
dressed taking into consideration multiple global goals on sustainable development
implications resulting from the COVID-19 and climate change also addressing impli-
crisis and future similar world health crises. cations related to world health crises such
as pandemics.
The scope of the Global Knowledge
Platform on Sustainable Water and Energy
5.1 Coordinated global effort and international cooperation
A coordinated and integrated approach factors in mitigation measures and adapta-
to water and energy should transcend na- tion procedures. Also the usage and supply
tional borders and could help to diminish of water and energy and their interdepend-
potential conflicts arising from the sharing ence could be affected by climate change.
of these natural resources and from climate With global energy-related CO2 emissions
change. The integrated approach will also reaching a historical high of 33.1 Gt in
help to identify synergies and to avoid neg- 2018, transforming the energy sector is key
ative trade-offs. The Knowledge platform for mitigating climate change (UN, 2019).
could include a space dedicated to infor- Precipitation and temperature patterns are
mation and lessons learned related to global changing all over the world, implying a
and regional coordinated efforts on water need to focus attention on adaptation plans.
and energy resources. As the impacts from climate change be-
come more evident all over the world, pol-
This coordinated approach is essential icy makers need to realize the importance
in the pursuit of climate change objectives of following a coordinated and integrated
given the fact that energy and water are key approach to water and energy that is
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