IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/renene/v162y2020icp1347-1366.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The economic synergies of modelling the renewable energy-water nexus towards sustainability

Author

Listed:
  • Ahmadi, Esmaeil
  • McLellan, Benjamin
  • Tezuka, Tetsuo

Abstract

This study investigates the role of the water-energy-nexus in transition plans to achieve a future system with a higher share of renewable energy and lower excess water extraction. Applying a novel nexus approach, an interactive multi-period model is proposed to study the synergies of sustainable water and energy supply planning, taking into account operational flexibility of the water sector and its compatibility with inherent intermittency of variable renewable resources. For investigating synergies in designing both energy systems and water systems together, the path of technology cost reduction is assumed to be a function of experience and knowledge and estimated using two-factor learning curves. The learning-by-searching rate was higher than the learning-by-doing rate for utility-scale wind, photovoltaic and reverse osmosis desalination technologies, ensuring research & development investment can play a chief role in the development of these industries. The levelized cost and capacity factor of photovoltaic and wind resources in the Middle East were calculated using data from 81 projects. The results showed that planning the water and energy sectors as endogenous parts of one integrated system brings potential synergies. The levelized cost of variable renewable energy decreased by 20% and the levelized cost of desalinated water dropped 4%.

Suggested Citation

  • Ahmadi, Esmaeil & McLellan, Benjamin & Tezuka, Tetsuo, 2020. "The economic synergies of modelling the renewable energy-water nexus towards sustainability," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 162(C), pages 1347-1366.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:renene:v:162:y:2020:i:c:p:1347-1366
    DOI: 10.1016/j.renene.2020.08.059
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S096014812031301X
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.renene.2020.08.059?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Al-Nory, Malak & El-Beltagy, Mohamed, 2014. "An energy management approach for renewable energy integration with power generation and water desalination," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 72(C), pages 377-385.
    2. Miketa, Asami & Schrattenholzer, Leo, 2004. "Experiments with a methodology to model the role of R&D expenditures in energy technology learning processes; first results," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 32(15), pages 1679-1692, October.
    3. Gude, Veera Gnaneswar & Nirmalakhandan, Nagamany & Deng, Shuguang, 2010. "Renewable and sustainable approaches for desalination," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 14(9), pages 2641-2654, December.
    4. Köberle, Alexandre C. & Gernaat, David E.H.J. & van Vuuren, Detlef P., 2015. "Assessing current and future techno-economic potential of concentrated solar power and photovoltaic electricity generation," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 89(C), pages 739-756.
    5. Kobos, Peter H. & Erickson, Jon D. & Drennen, Thomas E., 2006. "Technological learning and renewable energy costs: implications for US renewable energy policy," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 34(13), pages 1645-1658, September.
    6. Hickman, William & Muzhikyan, Aramazd & Farid, Amro M., 2017. "The synergistic role of renewable energy integration into the unit commitment of the energy water nexus," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 108(C), pages 220-229.
    7. Manju, S. & Sagar, Netramani, 2017. "Renewable energy integrated desalination: A sustainable solution to overcome future fresh-water scarcity in India," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 73(C), pages 594-609.
    8. Kim, Jong Suk & Chen, Jun & Garcia, Humberto E., 2016. "Modeling, control, and dynamic performance analysis of a reverse osmosis desalination plant integrated within hybrid energy systems," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 112(C), pages 52-66.
    9. Li, Zhenyu & Siddiqi, Afreen & Anadon, Laura Diaz & Narayanamurti, Venkatesh, 2018. "Towards sustainability in water-energy nexus: Ocean energy for seawater desalination," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 82(P3), pages 3833-3847.
    10. Kiwan, Suhil & Al-Gharibeh, Elyasa, 2020. "Jordan toward a 100% renewable electricity system," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 147(P1), pages 423-436.
    11. Peñate, Baltasar & Castellano, Fernando & Bello, Alejandro & García-Rodríguez, Lourdes, 2011. "Assessment of a stand-alone gradual capacity reverse osmosis desalination plant to adapt to wind power availability: A case study," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 36(7), pages 4372-4384.
    12. Yi Zhou & Alun Gu, 2019. "Learning Curve Analysis of Wind Power and Photovoltaics Technology in US: Cost Reduction and the Importance of Research, Development and Demonstration," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(8), pages 1-16, April.
    13. Tony Allan & Martin Keulertz & Eckart Woertz, 2015. "The water-food-energy nexus: an introduction to nexus concepts and some conceptual and operational problems," International Journal of Water Resources Development, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 31(3), pages 301-311, September.
    14. Astariz, S. & Iglesias, G., 2015. "The economics of wave energy: A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 45(C), pages 397-408.
    15. Smaoui, Mariem & Krichen, Lotfi, 2016. "Control, energy management and performance evaluation of desalination unit based renewable energies using a graphical user interface," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 114(C), pages 1187-1206.
    16. Gude, Veera Gnaneswar, 2015. "Energy storage for desalination processes powered by renewable energy and waste heat sources," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 137(C), pages 877-898.
    17. Sharon, H. & Reddy, K.S., 2015. "A review of solar energy driven desalination technologies," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 41(C), pages 1080-1118.
    18. Alghoul, M.A. & Poovanaesvaran, P. & Mohammed, M.H. & Fadhil, A.M. & Muftah, A.F. & Alkilani, M.M. & Sopian, K., 2016. "Design and experimental performance of brackish water reverse osmosis desalination unit powered by 2 kW photovoltaic system," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 93(C), pages 101-114.
    19. Vakilifard, Negar & A. Bahri, Parisa & Anda, Martin & Ho, Goen, 2019. "An interactive planning model for sustainable urban water and energy supply," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 235(C), pages 332-345.
    20. Rubin, Edward S. & Azevedo, Inês M.L. & Jaramillo, Paulina & Yeh, Sonia, 2015. "A review of learning rates for electricity supply technologies," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 86(C), pages 198-218.
    21. Ali, Aamer & Tufa, Ramato Ashu & Macedonio, Francesca & Curcio, Efrem & Drioli, Enrico, 2018. "Membrane technology in renewable-energy-driven desalination," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 81(P1), pages 1-21.
    22. Gokmen Tayfur, 2017. "Modern Optimization Methods in Water Resources Planning, Engineering and Management," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 31(10), pages 3205-3233, August.
    23. Eltawil, Mohamed A. & Zhengming, Zhao & Yuan, Liqiang, 2009. "A review of renewable energy technologies integrated with desalination systems," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 13(9), pages 2245-2262, December.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Ghasemi-Marzbali, Ali & Shafiei, Mohammad & Ahmadiahangar, Roya, 2023. "Day-ahead economical planning of multi-vector energy district considering demand response program," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 332(C).
    2. Østergaard, P.A. & Lund, H. & Thellufsen, J.Z. & Sorknæs, P. & Mathiesen, B.V., 2022. "Review and validation of EnergyPLAN," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 168(C).
    3. Mazaher Kianpour & Stewart J. Kowalski & Harald Øverby, 2021. "Systematically Understanding Cybersecurity Economics: A Survey," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(24), pages 1-28, December.
    4. Edmonds, Lawryn & Derby, Melanie & Hill, Mary & Wu, Hongyu, 2021. "Coordinated operation of water and electricity distribution networks with variable renewable energy and distribution locational marginal pricing," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 177(C), pages 1438-1450.
    5. Piotr Żuk & Paweł Żuk, 2021. "Increasing Energy Prices as a Stimulus for Entrepreneurship in Renewable Energies: Ownership Structure, Company Size and Energy Policy in Companies in Poland," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(18), pages 1-19, September.
    6. Rossi, Mosè & Spedaletti, Samuele & Lorenzetti, Matteo & Salvi, Danilo & Renzi, Massimiliano & Comodi, Gabriele & Caresana, Flavio & Pelagalli, Leonardo, 2021. "A methodology to estimate average flow rates in Water Supply Systems (WSSs) for energy recovery purposes through hydropower solutions," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 180(C), pages 1101-1113.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Esmaeil Ahmadi & Benjamin McLellan & Seiichi Ogata & Behnam Mohammadi-Ivatloo & Tetsuo Tezuka, 2020. "An Integrated Planning Framework for Sustainable Water and Energy Supply," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(10), pages 1-37, May.
    2. Mito, Mohamed T. & Ma, Xianghong & Albuflasa, Hanan & Davies, Philip A., 2019. "Reverse osmosis (RO) membrane desalination driven by wind and solar photovoltaic (PV) energy: State of the art and challenges for large-scale implementation," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 112(C), pages 669-685.
    3. Rosales-Asensio, Enrique & Borge-Diez, David & Pérez-Hoyos, Ana & Colmenar-Santos, Antonio, 2019. "Reduction of water cost for an existing wind-energy-based desalination scheme: A preliminary configuration," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 167(C), pages 548-560.
    4. Esmaeil Ahmadi & Benjamin McLellan & Behnam Mohammadi-Ivatloo & Tetsuo Tezuka, 2020. "The Role of Renewable Energy Resources in Sustainability of Water Desalination as a Potential Fresh-Water Source: An Updated Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(13), pages 1-31, June.
    5. Vakilifard, Negar & A. Bahri, Parisa & Anda, Martin & Ho, Goen, 2019. "An interactive planning model for sustainable urban water and energy supply," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 235(C), pages 332-345.
    6. Elia, A. & Kamidelivand, M. & Rogan, F. & Ó Gallachóir, B., 2021. "Impacts of innovation on renewable energy technology cost reductions," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 138(C).
    7. Samadi, Sascha, 2018. "The experience curve theory and its application in the field of electricity generation technologies – A literature review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 82(P3), pages 2346-2364.
    8. Omar, Amr & Nashed, Amir & Li, Qiyuan & Leslie, Greg & Taylor, Robert A., 2020. "Pathways for integrated concentrated solar power - Desalination: A critical review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 119(C).
    9. Kasaeian, Alibakhsh & Rajaee, Fatemeh & Yan, Wei-Mon, 2019. "Osmotic desalination by solar energy: A critical review," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 134(C), pages 1473-1490.
    10. Castrejon-Campos, Omar & Aye, Lu & Hui, Felix Kin Peng, 2022. "Effects of learning curve models on onshore wind and solar PV cost developments in the USA," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 160(C).
    11. Vakilifard, Negar & A. Bahri, Parisa & Anda, Martin & Ho, Goen, 2018. "A two-level decision making approach for optimal integrated urban water and energy management," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 155(C), pages 408-425.
    12. Hernandez-Negron, Christian G. & Baker, Erin & Goldstein, Anna P., 2023. "A hypothesis for experience curves of related technologies with an application to wind energy," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 184(C).
    13. Calise, Francesco & Cappiello, Francesco Liberato & Vanoli, Raffaele & Vicidomini, Maria, 2019. "Economic assessment of renewable energy systems integrating photovoltaic panels, seawater desalination and water storage," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 253(C), pages 1-1.
    14. Anand, B. & Shankar, R. & Murugavelh, S. & Rivera, W. & Midhun Prasad, K. & Nagarajan, R., 2021. "A review on solar photovoltaic thermal integrated desalination technologies," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 141(C).
    15. Wiser, Ryan & Millstein, Dev, 2020. "Evaluating the economic return to public wind energy research and development in the United States," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 261(C).
    16. Yi Zhou & Alun Gu, 2019. "Learning Curve Analysis of Wind Power and Photovoltaics Technology in US: Cost Reduction and the Importance of Research, Development and Demonstration," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(8), pages 1-16, April.
    17. Sascha Samadi, 2016. "A Review of Factors Influencing the Cost Development of Electricity Generation Technologies," Energies, MDPI, vol. 9(11), pages 1-25, November.
    18. Pinto, F. Silva & Marques, R. Cunha, 2017. "Desalination projects economic feasibility: A standardization of cost determinants," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 78(C), pages 904-915.
    19. Ben Ali, I. & Turki, M. & Belhadj, J. & Roboam, X., 2018. "Optimized fuzzy rule-based energy management for a battery-less PV/wind-BWRO desalination system," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 159(C), pages 216-228.
    20. de Oliveira, Glauber Cardoso & Bertone, Edoardo & Stewart, Rodney A., 2022. "Challenges, opportunities, and strategies for undertaking integrated precinct-scale energy–water system planning," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 161(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:renene:v:162:y:2020:i:c:p:1347-1366. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.journals.elsevier.com/renewable-energy .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.