Water–Energy–Carbon Nexus Modeling for Urban Water Systems: System Dynamics Approach
Publication: Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management
Volume 143, Issue 6
Abstract
A comprehensive water-energy-carbon (WEC) nexus model for an urban water system (UWS) using system dynamics is proposed to assist municipalities, urban developers, and policy makers for neighborhood water planning and management. The proposed model and decision support tool was developed for the operational phase of UWSs. The model was validated using historical water and energy consumption data (2005–2014) of Penticton (British Columbia, Canada). Spearman’s correlation coefficients between water and energy, water and carbon, and energy and carbon were 0.94, 0.89, and 0.83, respectively, revealing highly significant interconnections. The energy for water was , water for energy was , and carbon emissions were from energy use and from wastewater processes. A Monte Carlo–based sensitivity analysis showed residential outdoor irrigation and water heating energy for showers and dishwashers have higher contribution to model variability. The intervention analysis reveals significant differences in savings in water, energy, and carbon for various water and energy-based interventions in UWSs and the developed tool is well capable for analyzing these dynamic savings.
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Acknowledgments
We acknowledge the financial assistance of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) to conduct this research work. The City of Penticton and its Water Treatment Plant and Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant are appreciated for providing the necessary data. We acknowledge the financial and in-kind support of the industrial partners (New Monaco Enterprise, District of Peachland, Focus Engineering, Urban Systems, and FortisBC) for the NSERC Collaborative Research and Development Grants.
Conflict of Interest
The authors declare that they do not have any conflict of interest.
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Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management
Volume 143 • Issue 6 • June 2017
Copyright
©2017 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: May 9, 2016
Accepted: Nov 21, 2016
Published online: Feb 21, 2017
Published in print: Jun 1, 2017
Discussion open until: Jul 21, 2017
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