A public policy primer on consolidating the water‐energy nexus

Abstract

The purpose of this paper was to study advancing the water‐energy nexus in the context of urban metabolism and to extend past literature reviews to capture water and energy integration policy. The use of water for energy generation and energy for water treatment are a couple of examples of this nexus that have been well‐documented over the years. This paper answers operational and policy questions related to integration while comparing nexus efforts in two countries at the forefront of this discussion: the United States and Australia. Barriers to successful integration include gaps in data collection and lack of a consensus model for integration advancement. The study found that jurisdictions can take advantage of opportunities to consolidate the nexus by adopting new technologies that create efficient and cost‐effective ways for delivering a sustainable output by changing the way inputs are utilized. They could also develop a tracking system to measure the results of their efforts and evaluate if targeted outcomes are being achieved.