The ecology in the Murray-Darling Basin in Australia is threatened by water scarcity due to climate change and the over-extraction and over-use of natural water resources. Ensuring environmental flows and sustainable water resources management is urgently needed. Seawater desalination offers high potential to deliver water in virtually unlimited quantity. However, this technology is energyintensive. In order to prevent desalination becoming a driver of greenhouse gases, the operation of seawater desalination with renewables is increasingly being considered. Our study examines the optimisation of the operation of a 100% renewable energy grid by integrating seawater desalination plants and pipelines as a variable load. We use a GIS-based renewable energy load-shifting model and show how both technologies create synergy effects. First, we analyse what quantity of water is missing in the basin in the long run. We determine locations for seawater desalination plants and pipelines to distribute the water into existing storages in the Murray-Darling Basin. Second, we design a pipeline system and calculate the electricity needed to pump the water from the plants to the storages. Third, we use the combined renewable energy load-shifting model. We minimise the total cost of the energy system by shifting energy demand for water production to periods of high renewable energy availability. Our calculations show that in such a system, the unused spilt electricity can be reduced by at least 27 TWh. The electricity system's installed capacity and levelised cost of electricity can be reduced by up to 29%, and 43% respectively. This approach can provide an annual net economic benefit of $22.5 bn. The results illustrate that the expansion of seawater desalination capacity for loadshifting is economically beneficial. Abbreviations GISGeographic information system LCOE Levelised cost of electricity MDB Murray-Darling Basin MDBA Murray-Darling Basin Authority RE Renewable energies RO Reverse osmosis SDL Surface-water diversion limit SWRO Seawater reverse osmosis
What could be the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions if the conventional way of maintaining roads is changed?Emissions of greenhouse gases must be reduced if global warming is to be avoided, and urgent political and technological decisions should be taken. However, there is a lock-in in built infrastructures that is limiting the rate at which emissions can be reduced. Self-healing asphalt is a new type of technology that will reduce the need for fossil fuels over the lifetime of a road pavement, at the same time as prolonging the road lifespan. In this study we have assessed the benefits of using self-healing asphalt as an alternative material for road pavements employing a hybrid input-output-assisted Life-Cycle Assessment, as only by determining the plausible scenarios of future emissions will policy makers identify pathways that might achieve climate change mitigation goals. We have concluded that selfhealing roads could prevent a considerable amount of emissions and costs over the global road network: 16% lower emissions and 32% lower costs compared to a conventional road over the lifecycle.
For many arid countries, desalination is considered as the final possible option to ensure water availability. Although seawater desalination offers the utilisation of almost infinite water resources, the technology is associated with high costs, high energy consumption and thus high carbon emissions when using electricity from fossil sources. In our study, we compare different electricity mixes for seawater desalination in terms of some economic, social and environmental attributes. For this purpose, we developed a comprehensive multi-regional input-output model that we apply in a hybrid life-cycle assessment spanning a period of 29 yr. In our case study, we model desalination plants destined to close the water gap in the Murray-Darling basin, Australia's major agricultural area. We find that under a 100%-renewable electricity system, desalination consumes 20% less water, emits 90% less greenhouse gases, and generates 14% more employment. However, the positive impacts go hand in hand with 17% higher land use, and a 10% decrease in gross value added, excluding external effects. led to environmental issues like high salinity of rivers and fish death (Potter et al 2010, Wedderburn et al 2012. Over the past few years, Australia faced heat records and intense bushfires (Borchers Arriagada et al 2020). The latter put the country in a state of emergency for weeks in early 2020 (Komesaroff and Kerridge 2020).If using natural resources, improving water management, and measures like wastewater reuse are not sufficient to meet water demand, desalination offers great potential, especially for regions with access to the sea (Crisp 2012, Bell et al 2018. However, the technology has some severe drawbacks. The production cost of desalinated water is about twice or three times higher than water from conventional sources (Ziolkowska 2015). Furthermore, effects on the marine ecosystem, high energy consumption and the associated GHG emissions are the primary ecological challenges (
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