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The Nexus of Renewable Energy, Water, and Food Systems

A special issue of Energies (ISSN 1996-1073). This special issue belongs to the section "A: Sustainable Energy".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 May 2018) | Viewed by 13376

Special Issue Editors

Udall Center for Studies in Public Policy, School of Geography & Development, and College of Science, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
Interests: water–energy–food nexus; water footprint of conventional and renewable energy; water and energy impacts of food systems, production, and transportation; energy policy; climate resilience; adaptation and resilience; water security; science–policy dialogues; groundwater pumping and depletion; water reuse; transboundary adaptive management
Institute for Energy Solutions, and Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
Interests: bioreactor design; production of biofuel, food and high value products from algae and terrestrial plants; energy-water-food nexus; sustainable bioeconomy; wastewater treatment using biological processes; water recycle and reuse; process intensification

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are inviting submissions to a Special Issue of Energies on the subject area of “The Nexus of Renewable Energy, Water, and Food Systems”. Interactions among energy, water, and food systems represent grand global challenges in the Anthropocene era. Renewable energy transitions—including innovation, design, adoption, operation, maintenance, societal demand and opposition, economics, institutions, and policies—constitute key areas of research, particularly in relation to water and food systems.

Topics of interest for publication include, but are not limited to:

  • Energy–water–food interactions, considering resource use, technology, infrastructure, and/or policy

  • Climate-smart energy generation coupled to sustainable food and water use

  • Off-grid renewables in the context of local water availability and food/ irrigation demand

  • Smart Village and/or Smart Grid systems

  • Resource efficiency—savings or expanded use?

  • Life-cycle analysis of renewables, carbon and water footprints

  • Renewable energy access, energy poverty, human dimensions

  • Integrated systems that minimize energy use while producing food and/or clean water

Prof. Dr. Christopher A. Scott
Prof. Dr. Kimberly L. Ogden
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Energies is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 7571 KiB  
Article
Investigation and Analysis of Attack Angle and Rear Flow Condition of Contra-Rotating Small Hydro-Turbine
by Ding Nan, Toru Shigemitsu and Shengdun Zhao
Energies 2018, 11(7), 1806; https://doi.org/10.3390/en11071806 - 10 Jul 2018
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2731
Abstract
At present, there is strong impetus for renewable energy to replace the traditional energy sources because of the environmental pollution. Small hydropower is a promising renewable energy source; however, small hydro-turbines easily become blocked and impacted, and the efficiency of such devices is [...] Read more.
At present, there is strong impetus for renewable energy to replace the traditional energy sources because of the environmental pollution. Small hydropower is a promising renewable energy source; however, small hydro-turbines easily become blocked and impacted, and the efficiency of such devices is lower. Therefore, we examined contra-rotating rotors to overcome these disadvantages. We have made modifications to the blade thickness and to the front hub of the original model. In this paper, we focus on the attack angle and rear flow condition of the original model and the modified one. The axial and circumferential velocities are given as outputs, from which the attack angle is then calculated. The results show that the attack angle of new model is smaller at the hub area. The stagnation point of the rear rotor was moved slightly to the pressure surface of the rear blade, and the separation at leading edge area was suppressed. The crowed flow at the tip clearance area is also reduced. The high turbulent kinetic energy area is moved forward to the middle of the blade. The rear rotor’s torque is bigger and changes more smoothly. Therefore, the rear flow conditions of the new model are improved. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Nexus of Renewable Energy, Water, and Food Systems)
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24 pages, 7916 KiB  
Article
Impacts of Decarbonisation on the Water-Energy-Land (WEL) Nexus: A Case Study of the Spanish Electricity Sector
by Yolanda Lechón, Cristina De La Rúa and Helena Cabal
Energies 2018, 11(5), 1203; https://doi.org/10.3390/en11051203 - 09 May 2018
Cited by 16 | Viewed by 4209
Abstract
Over the last decades, combating climate change has been an important concern for policy makers. As a result, many policies have been designed towards this direction. Being electricity generation the focus of climate change mitigation policies, important changes are expected in this sector [...] Read more.
Over the last decades, combating climate change has been an important concern for policy makers. As a result, many policies have been designed towards this direction. Being electricity generation the focus of climate change mitigation policies, important changes are expected in this sector over the next few years as a result of the implementation of such policies. However, electricity production also generates other impacts on the water, energy and land (WEL) nexus that must be further investigated. To shed some light to this issue, this paper presents and discusses the potential impacts on the water-energy-land nexus resulting from the decarbonisation of the Spanish electricity system impacts under two different long-term scenarios. Using a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) approach, a set of environmental impacts relevant for the nexus have been analysed for the current and future electricity generation technologies in Spain. Additionally, through the use of an optimization energy model—Times-Spain—the evolution of the electricity technologies in Spain until 2030, under two different scenarios and targets has been assessed. Taking into consideration such scenarios, the global warming, acidification, eutrophication, ecotoxicity, water consumption, resource depletion and land use impacts have been estimated. Results show that, over time, together with the decrease of greenhouse gas emission, acidification and eutrophication tend to decrease in both scenarios. On the contrary, ecotoxicity and resource use impacts tend to increase. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Nexus of Renewable Energy, Water, and Food Systems)
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19 pages, 1329 KiB  
Article
Assessment of Collective Production of Biomethane from Livestock Waste for Urban Transportation Mobility in Brazil and the United States
by Janaina Camile Pasqual, Harry Alberto Bollmann, Christopher A. Scott, Thiago Edwiges and Thais Carlini Baptista
Energies 2018, 11(4), 997; https://doi.org/10.3390/en11040997 - 20 Apr 2018
Cited by 20 | Viewed by 6046
Abstract
Water, energy, and food are essential elements for human life, but face constant pressure resulting from economic development, climate change, and other global processes. Predictions of rapid economic growth, increasing population, and urbanization in the coming decades point to rapidly increasing demand for [...] Read more.
Water, energy, and food are essential elements for human life, but face constant pressure resulting from economic development, climate change, and other global processes. Predictions of rapid economic growth, increasing population, and urbanization in the coming decades point to rapidly increasing demand for all three. In this context, improved management of the interactions among water, energy, and food requires an integrated “nexus” approach. This paper focuses on a specific nexus case: biogas generated from organic waste, a renewable source of energy created in livestock production, which can have water-quality impacts if waste enters water bodies. An innovative model is presented to make biogas and biomethane systems feasible, termed “biogas condominiums” (based on collective action given that small- and medium-scale farms on their own cannot afford the necessary investments). Based on the “farm to fuel” concept, animal waste and manure are converted into electrical and thermal energy, biofuel for transportation, and high-quality biofertilizer. This nexus approach provides multiple economic, environmental, and social benefits in both rural and urban areas, including reduction of ground and surface water pollution, decrease of fossil fuels dependence, and mitigation of greenhouse gases emissions, among others. The research finds that biogas condominiums create benefits for the whole biogas supply chain, which includes farmers, agroindustry, input providers, and local communities. The study estimated that biomethane potential in Brazil could substitute the country’s entire diesel and gasoline imports as well as 44% of the total diesel demand. In the United States, biomethane potential can meet 16% of diesel demand and significantly diversify the energy matrix. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Nexus of Renewable Energy, Water, and Food Systems)
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