The system integration and optimization of water technologies is another key climate strategy element, which is ready for immediate deployment in regional and local water supply and wastewater treatment systems worldwide.
In the United States and the European Union, the water sector’s share of total electricity consumption is around 3%. In other regions, e.g. the Middle East, the share is already about 9% and is expected to rise to 16% in the next decades due to new water desalination plants.
In local and regional utility systems energy is required to extract, convey and deliver water and to treat wastewaters prior to their return to the environment. With ongoing climate change, water scarcity, variability, and uncertainty are becoming more prominent worldwide. Especially the treatment of water that is either high in salinity or contains large amounts of organic material has relatively high energy requirements. Likewise, pumping and conveyance across basins is energy-intensive.
An intelligent integrated management of water and renewable energy facilities offers many potential synergies. The emergence of flexibility as a desired attribute in electricity systems with high penetration of variable renewables ideally influences the design and operations of both electricity and water infrastructures. It requires to combine models used for (renewable) electricity with those used for water and wastewater infrastructure, including accounting for buffer systems (i.e. energy storage and water storage).
Next Solar Concept and its partners have the necessary knowledge and experience to advise on all aspects of the deployment and integration of innovative water system technologies, including operational issues, economic evaluation and financing programs.