Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category

Giant Water Battery Will Help Scotland Hit Net Zero

Via EuroNews, a report on a giant water battery inside a mountain which will help Scotland hit net zero: The Scottish government has given the green light to expand a hydro storage plant in the west of the country. Renewable power developer Drax wants to build a new £500 million (€581 million) development in their existing Cruachan facility. Authorities […]

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Revisiting the Water-Energy Nexus for a Changing Climate

Via IPS News, a look at the water-energy nexus in a changing climate: The Colorado river basin has recently been wracked by an extended drought which brought to the fore major concerns regarding hydroelectricity production. Up on the Colorado sits the iconic Hoover Dam, which transforms water into enough electricity to power 1.3 million people in […]

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Can America’s Canals Double as Solar Farms?

Via Canary Media, another look at the potential of putting solar panels over waterways in order to boost clean energy and conserve water: Some 8,000 miles of federally owned canals snake across the United States, channeling water to replenish crops, fuel hydropower plants and supply drinking water to rural communities. In the future, these narrow waterways could serve […]

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Why Aren’t Solar Panels on California Canals More Widespread?

Via CBS, commentary on why aren’t solar panels on California canals more widespread: Back in 2015, California’s dry earth was crunching under a fourth year of drought. Then-Governor Jerry Brown ordered an unprecedented 25% reduction in home water use. Farmers, who use the most water, volunteered too to avoid deeper, mandatory cuts. Brown also set […]

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Atomic-Powered, Decentralized Desalination

Via AquatechTrade, a look at the potential of modular, decentralized nuclear powered desalination plants the future for water: According to the World Nuclear Association, nuclear energy is already being used for desalination, yet has the potential for much greater use. Following his fusion energy moonshot at the IDA World Congress in Sydney, Prof. Lienhard shares […]

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‘Giant Methane Factories’: Hydropower Has Long Been Touted as Clean Energy. But Is It?

Via Inside Climate News, a report on decades of research that now suggest that hydropower has a far greater climate impact than once thought: Mark Easter couldn’t help but feel disappointed when he learned about a new study from Stanford University, which drew connections between the ongoing drought in the American West and an increase […]

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About This Blog And Its Author
As the scarcity of water and energy continues to grow, the linkage between these two critical resources will become more defined and even more acute in the months ahead.  This blog is committed to analyzing and referencing articles, reports, and interviews that can help unlock the nascent, complex and expanding linkages between water and energy -- The Watergy Nexus -- and will endeavor to provide a central clearinghouse for insightful articles and comments for all to consider.

Educated at Yale University (Bachelor of Arts - History) and Harvard (Master in Public Policy - International Development), Monty Simus has held a lifelong interest in environmental and conservation issues, primarily as they relate to freshwater scarcity, renewable energy, and national park policy.  Working from a water-scarce base in Las Vegas with his wife and son, he is the founder of Water Politics, an organization dedicated to the identification and analysis of geopolitical water issues arising from the world’s growing and vast water deficits, and is also a co-founder of SmartMarkets, an eco-preneurial venture that applies web 2.0 technology and online social networking innovations to motivate energy & water conservation.  He previously worked for an independent power producer in Central Asia; co-authored an article appearing in the Summer 2010 issue of the Tulane Environmental Law Journal, titled: “The Water Ethic: The Inexorable Birth Of A Certain Alienable Right”; and authored an article appearing in the inaugural issue of Johns Hopkins University's Global Water Magazine in July 2010 titled: “H2Own: The Water Ethic and an Equitable Market for the Exchange of Individual Water Efficiency Credits.”