Increasing the Spatial Resolution in CLEWs Studies: An Integrated Modelling Approach for Water-Energy-Food Systems

Integrated modelling of energy and water systems in the CLEWs (Climate, Land, Energy, and Water-systems) framework has significantly advanced our understanding of the intricate interactions among scarce sources such as water, energy, and food. This framework brings meaningful insights and quantitative results using modelling tools aligned with practical planning scenarios. Accordingly, this nexus approach enables policy and scenario analyses tailored to the sustainable development goals and the specific needs of countries, governments, and sectoral authorities.

Some open-source modelling tools provide a broad interface for incorporating water and energy planning assessments, which contribute to the development of various soft-linking models. In general, open-source energy modelling systems (such as OSeMOSYS) facilitate the simulation and optimization of energy systems on a regional and national level. However, OSeMOSYS has a notable limitation in modelling the spatial distribution of energy sources, demand, and infrastructure. In particular, the geographical location of energy sources impacts various factors, such as extraction costs, transmission and distribution efficiency, and environmental concerns such as carbon emissions.

This study aims to develop an integrated modelling approach for these associated costs, environmental impacts, and potential interdependencies between energy and water systems by explicitly capturing the spatial distribution of energy storage, energy sources, demand, and supply infrastructure. Integrating the Next Energy Modeling system for Optimization (NEMO), Water Evaluation and Planning (WEAP), and Geographic Information System (GIS) analysis aims to identify optimal energy pathways considering environmental aspects, cost-effectiveness, and sustainable development goals. The proposed methodology aims to enable dispatch modelling of energy options with a sufficient temporal resolution and structure the interactions of CLEWs by explicitly accounting for the spatial distribution of energy sources, water resources, and infrastructure. This approach can provide a more accurate assessment of interdependencies and potential trade-offs.

The research outcomes will contribute to basin management and CLEWs studies, advancing the understanding of energy-water dynamics and offering insights into sustainable solutions for the Volta and Tana River Basins, in West and East Africa respectively. We present a systematic outline of our project and a preliminary example of an energy transition in the Volta River Basin using a spatially explicit modelling approach.