Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category

California’s Vicious Watergy Cycle

Via Water Online, an interesting report on the simultaneous need for energy to foster new water supplies for California and the fact that using much of that energy creates greenhouse gasses has created a bit of a vicious cycle for California’s water sector: In California, life for water and wastewater utilities isn’t easy. They are […]

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Dams In The Amazon: A Watergy Challenge

Via The Economist, a look at growing unease with dams in the Amazon and new ways to generate electricity: EARLIER this year Arnaldo Kabá, chief of Brazil’s Munduruku people, journeyed from his home in Brazil’s Tapajós valley to London to demand a halt to projects which, he believes, threaten his people’s land. Flanked by activists […]

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Watergy Tension In South Asia

Via Circle of Blue, a look at growing tension between energy and water in Bangladesh: In 2010, when Bangladesh drew up its Power Sector Master Plan to develop thousands of new megawatts of coal-fired electricity, the government also bought 742 hectares (1,834 acres) of bottomland along the Passur River. At the time, the aggressive master […]

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South Asia’s Energy Crisis: Water Scarcity and its Implications for Hydroelectricity

Via Future Directions International, a report on the implications of water scarcity on South Asia’s energy crisis: Key Points Demand for electricity in South Asia will continue to increase. While coal is likely to continue to be the main energy source, diversification efforts could decrease its share. The role of hydroelectric production has been to […]

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The Thirsty Dragon: Using Unconventional Water For China’s Power Generation

Via China Water Risk, a look at how unconventional water sources can help power China: Thermal power plants are intensive water users and a lot of China’s thermal power generation capacity is located in highly water stressed regions. In these regions, the power sector can be a significant contributor to water stress. In a bid […]

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Fracking Puts Water Sources At Risk In Texas And Colorado

Via From the Styx, a report on how water use in fracking is a key risk in water-stressed regions in Texas and Colorado: Map: Competition for Water in U.S. Shale Energy Development “Even with the slowdown in oil and gas production, hydraulic fracturing is potentially heightening the competition for water resources in many of the […]

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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.”