• Energy Research
• 2016-2025close
• 6. Clean water close
• Imperial College London close

BECCS performance can be measured by a wide range of technical and sustainability indicators, which can be negatively correlated. An exclusive focus on BECCS technical performance – CO2 removal and electricity production, can result in negative consequences for the broader environment.

AbstractThe information communication technology sector will experience huge growth over the coming years, with 29.3 billion devices expected online by 2030, up from 18.4 billion in 2018. To reliably support the online services used by these billions of users, data centres have been built around the world to provide the millions of servers they contain with access to power, cooling and internet connectivity. Whilst the energy consumption of these facilities regularly receives mainstream and academic coverage, analysis of their water consumption is scarce. Data centres consume water directly for cooling, in some cases 57% sourced from potable water, and indirectly through the water requirements of non-renewable electricity generation. Although in the USA, data centre water consumption (1.7 billion litres/day) is small compared to total water consumption (1218 billion litres/day), there are issues of transparency with less than a third of data centre operators measuring water consumption. This paper examines the water consumption of data centres, the measurement of that consumption, highlights the lack of data available to assess water efficiency, and discusses and where the industry is going in attempts to reduce future consumption.

Abstract. In eastern Africa droughts can cause crop failure and lead to food insecurity. With increasing temperatures, there is an a priori assumption that droughts are becoming more severe. However, the link between droughts and climate change is not sufficiently understood. Here we investigate trends in long-term agricultural drought and the influence of increasing temperatures and precipitation deficits. Using a combination of models and observational datasets, we studied trends, spanning the period from 1900 (to approximate pre-industrial conditions) to 2018, for six regions in eastern Africa in four drought-related annually averaged variables: soil moisture, precipitation, temperature, and evaporative demand (E0). In standardized soil moisture data, we found no discernible trends. The strongest influence on soil moisture variability was from precipitation, especially in the drier or water-limited study regions; temperature and E0 did not demonstrate strong relations to soil moisture. However, the error margins on precipitation trend estimates are large and no clear trend is evident, whereas significant positive trends were observed in local temperatures. The trends in E0 are predominantly positive, but we do not find strong relations between E0 and soil moisture trends. Nevertheless, the E0 trend results can still be of interest for irrigation purposes because it is E0 that determines the maximum evaporation rate. We conclude that until now the impact of increasing local temperatures on agricultural drought in eastern Africa is limited and we recommend that any soil moisture analysis be supplemented by an analysis of precipitation deficit.

Almost all countries have committed to develop Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) to reduce GHG emissions. They determine the level of GHG mitigation that, as a nation, they will commit to reducing. Zimbabwe has ambitious and laudable GHG mitigation targets. Compared to a coal-based future, emissions will be reduced by 33% per capita by 2030. If historical climate conditions continue, it can do this at low or negative cost if suitable sources of climate financing are in place. The NDC plots a positive future. However, much of Zimbabwe’s NDC mitigation center on hydropower generation and other measures that are dangerously vulnerable to climate change. Should the climate change in accordance with recent projections, these investments will be at risk, severely constraining electricity supply and causing high degrees of economic damage. This paper uses the Open-Source energy Modelling SYStem (OSeMOSYS) to consider two adaptation pathways that address this vulnerability. In the first, the country turns to a historically accessible option, namely the deployment of coal. In so doing, the electrical system is made more resilient, but emissions ramp up. The second pathway ‘climate proofs’ the power sector by boosting solar and wind capacity, using hydropower to provide balance for these new renewable resources, and introducing significant energy efficiency measures. This second pathway would require a set of extra accompanying investments and changes to the power market rules, but allows for both system resilience and NDC targets to be met. The paper shows that Zimbabwe’s low emissions growth can be made resilient, and while this path promises strong benefits, it also requires strong commitment and political will. From this paper insights are drawn and requirements for future analysis are made. Two critical insights are that: (i) NDCs that focus on mitigation should include resilience in their design. If they do not, they can introduce deep vulnerability; (ii) a departure from historical electricity market structures appears to hold potential for strong environmental, cost and reliability gains.

AbstractOptimisation is particularly important in the case of CO2 storage in saline aquifers, where there are various operational objectives to be achieved. The storage operation design process must also take various uncertainties into account, which result in adding computational overheads to the optimisation calculations. To circumvent this problem upscaled models with which computations are orders of magnitude less time-consuming can be used. Nevertheless, a grid resolution, which does not compromise the accuracy, reliability and robustness of the optimisation in an upscaled model must be carefully determined. In this study, a 3D geological model based on the Forties and Nelson hydrocarbon fields and the adjacent saline aquifer, is built to examine the use of coarse grid resolutions to design an optimal CO2 storage solution. The optimisation problem is to find optimal allocation of total CO2 injection rate between existing wells. A simulation template of an area encompassing proximal-type reservoirs of the Forties-Montrose High is considered. The detailed geological model construction leads to computationally intensive simulations for CO2 storage design, so that upscaling is rendered unavoidable. Therefore, an optimal grid resolution that successfully trades accuracy against computational run-time is sought after through a thorough analysis of the optimisation results for different resolution grids. The analysis is based on a back-substitution of the optimisation solutions obtained from coarse-scale models into the fine-scale model, and comparison between these back-substitution models and direct use of fine-scale model to conduct optimisation.

L'eau potable dans une grande partie de l'Asie, en particulier dans les zones côtières et rurales, est fournie par diverses sources, qui sont largement distribuées et souvent gérées au niveau individuel ou communautaire local. Les sources d'eau potable côtières et proches de l'intérieur des terres en Asie du Sud et du Sud-Est (ESS) sont vulnérables à la contamination par l'eau de mer, la plus spectaculaire étant les ondes de tempête induites par les cyclones tropicaux. Cet article évalue les vulnérabilités spatiales à la salinisation des sources d'eau potable en raison de la variabilité météorologique et du changement climatique le long du littoral (environ 6 000 km) de l'Asie de l'ESS. Les risques d'augmentation des contraintes climatiques sont d'abord pris en compte, puis des cartes de vulnérabilité relative le long de l'ensemble du littoral sont élaborées, à l'aide de données provenant de modèles de surface terrestre à l'échelle mondiale, ainsi que d'un indice de vulnérabilité global. Les résultats montrent que l'eau potable de surface et près de la surface dans les zones côtières des méga-deltas au Vietnam et au Bangladesh-Inde sont les plus vulnérables, exposant plus de 25 millions de personnes au risque de boire de l'eau « saline ». Le changement climatique est susceptible d'exacerber ce problème, avec des conséquences néfastes pour la santé, telles que la prévalence de l'hypertension et des maladies cardiovasculaires. Il est nécessaire d'identifier les sites les plus exposés au risque de salinisation afin que les décideurs et les responsables locaux puissent mettre en œuvre des stratégies de réduction de ces impacts sur la santé. Pour contrer les risques associés à ces vulnérabilités, des mesures d'adaptation possibles sont également décrites. Nous concluons que des évaluations détaillées et à petite échelle de la vulnérabilité peuvent devenir cruciales pour la planification de programmes d'adaptation ciblés le long de ces côtes. El agua potable en gran parte de Asia, particularmente en entornos costeros y rurales, proviene de una variedad de fuentes, que se distribuyen ampliamente y se gestionan con frecuencia a nivel individual o de la comunidad local. Las fuentes de agua potable costeras y cercanas al interior de Asia meridional y sudoriental (ESS) son vulnerables a la contaminación por agua de mar, sobre todo por las marejadas ciclónicas tropicales. Este documento evalúa las vulnerabilidades espaciales a la salinización de las fuentes de agua potable debido a la variabilidad meteorológica y al cambio climático a lo largo de la costa (aproximadamente 6000 km) de la ESS de Asia. Primero se consideran los riesgos del aumento de las tensiones climáticas y luego se desarrollan mapas de vulnerabilidad relativa a lo largo de toda la costa, utilizando datos de modelos de superficie terrestre a escala global, junto con un índice de vulnerabilidad general. Los resultados muestran que el agua potable superficial y cercana a la superficie en las zonas costeras de los megadeltas en Vietnam y Bangladesh-India son las más vulnerables, lo que pone a más de 25 millones de personas en riesgo de beber agua "salina". Es probable que el cambio climático agrave este problema, con consecuencias adversas para la salud, como la prevalencia de hipertensión y enfermedades cardiovasculares. Es necesario identificar los lugares con mayor riesgo de salinización para que los responsables políticos y los funcionarios locales implementen estrategias para reducir estos impactos en la salud. Para contrarrestar los riesgos asociados con estas vulnerabilidades, también se describen posibles medidas de adaptación. Llegamos a la conclusión de que las evaluaciones de vulnerabilidad detalladas y a pequeña escala pueden ser cruciales para planificar programas de adaptación específicos a lo largo de estas costas. Drinking water in much of Asia, particularly in coastal and rural settings, is provided by a variety of sources, which are widely distributed and frequently managed at an individual or local community level. Coastal and near-inland drinking water sources in South and South East (SSE) Asia are vulnerable to contamination by seawater, most dramatically from tropical cyclone induced storm surges. This paper assesses spatial vulnerabilities to salinisation of drinking water sources due to meteorological variability and climate change along the (ca. 6000 km) coastline of SSE Asia. The risks of increasing climatic stresses are first considered, and then maps of relative vulnerability along the entire coastline are developed, using data from global scale land surface models, along with an overall vulnerability index. The results show that surface and near-surface drinking water in the coastal areas of the mega-deltas in Vietnam and Bangladesh-India are most vulnerable, putting more than 25 million people at risk of drinking 'saline' water. Climate change is likely to exacerbate this problem, with adverse consequences for health, such as prevalence of hypertension and cardiovascular diseases. There is a need for identifying locations that are most at risk of salinisation in order for policy makers and local officials to implement strategies for reducing these health impacts. To counter the risks associated with these vulnerabilities, possible adaptation measures are also outlined. We conclude that detailed and fine scale vulnerability assessments may become crucial for planning targeted adaptation programmes along these coasts. يتم توفير مياه الشرب في معظم أنحاء آسيا، لا سيما في المناطق الساحلية والريفية، من خلال مجموعة متنوعة من المصادر، والتي يتم توزيعها على نطاق واسع وإدارتها بشكل متكرر على مستوى الفرد أو المجتمع المحلي. مصادر مياه الشرب الساحلية والقريبة من اليابسة في جنوب وجنوب شرق آسيا معرضة للتلوث بمياه البحر، والأكثر دراماتيكية من العواصف الناجمة عن الأعاصير المدارية. تقيّم هذه الورقة نقاط الضعف المكانية لتملح مصادر مياه الشرب بسبب تقلبات الأرصاد الجوية وتغير المناخ على طول الساحل (حوالي 6000 كم) من آسيا جنوب شرق آسيا. يتم النظر أولاً في مخاطر زيادة الضغوط المناخية، ثم يتم تطوير خرائط الضعف النسبي على طول الساحل بأكمله، باستخدام بيانات من نماذج سطح الأرض على نطاق عالمي، إلى جانب مؤشر الضعف العام. تظهر النتائج أن مياه الشرب السطحية والقريبة من السطح في المناطق الساحلية من الدلتا الضخمة في فيتنام وبنغلاديش والهند هي الأكثر عرضة للخطر، مما يعرض أكثر من 25 مليون شخص لخطر شرب المياه "المالحة". ومن المرجح أن يؤدي تغير المناخ إلى تفاقم هذه المشكلة، مع ما يترتب على ذلك من عواقب وخيمة على الصحة، مثل انتشار ارتفاع ضغط الدم وأمراض القلب والأوعية الدموية. هناك حاجة إلى تحديد المواقع الأكثر عرضة لخطر الملوحة حتى يتمكن صانعو السياسات والمسؤولون المحليون من تنفيذ استراتيجيات للحد من هذه الآثار الصحية. ولمواجهة المخاطر المرتبطة بمواطن الضعف هذه، يتم أيضًا تحديد تدابير التكيف الممكنة. نستنتج أن تقييمات قابلية التأثر المفصلة والدقيقة قد تصبح حاسمة لتخطيط برامج التكيف المستهدفة على طول هذه السواحل.