With so many new terms being thrown around like global warming, climate change, energy neutrality, water neutrality and many more, it seems that one has to go to university to just understand what “those in the know†are even talking about, let alone understand the concept.
The latest term floating out here in the ether seems to be “the water-energy nexus.†What in the name of little green apples is a water-energy nexus and what does it mean for you and I?
What is the Water-Energy Nexus?
According to a guide by Atkins, ‘The Water-Energy Nexus: A smarter approach towards the challenges of tomorrow?‘ the water-energy nexus involves the interdependency of water and energy risks and opportunities we face.
Business has always seen water and energy efficiency as two separate entities, and has dealt with them as such, with more effort being put into energy efficiency due to the lower economic value assigned to water, but this has changed of late.
Business has slowly come to realise that there are interconnections between water and energy, and that water and energy efficiency go hand in glove and must be tackled as such. It is foolish to continue to pay more heed to energy conservation than to water conservation, as there are far larger financial and environmental benefits to be gained by considering water and energy together,
The water-energy nexus considers the links between water and energy at a range of scales, taking into account all aspects, including long-term horizon scanning, strategy development, the management of site operations, and the screening of investment plans for risks and opportunities.
According to an interactive map of heat available in over 4,000 English rivers, estuaries, canals, and coastal waters, developed by the Department of Energy and Climate Change, in excess of one a million properties across England could tap into a cleaner heat source hidden in these waterways.
According to this heat map, the rivers alone are capable of providing in excess of six gigawatts of low-carbon heat, and smaller urban areas on the bigger rivers could access all their heat needs solely from their nearest river.
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