Adaptation Strategies for Urban Water-Electricity Resilience

We identify a range of  adaptation strategies for energy and water networks subject to stress during periods of extreme weather.   The study analyses the interdependence of energy and water demand in a temperate region, New York State, and an arid region, Texas.  This research asks the question: “What is the relationship between electricity use, water consumption and in extreme heat at the regional/urban scale?”  As cities brace for increasingly frequent and severe weather events and prepare infrastructure resilience plans, this question is increasingly relevant.

Water-energy interdependencies in the energy sector suggest that changing precipitation patterns can have impacts across all sectors of the economy. Climate change-based reductions of the quantity of water available for electricity generation are of particular concern. Understanding correlations between water and electricity use in varying weather conditions will enhance emergency response and electricity/water demand management in hot weather.

This research uses exploratory data analysis to examine relationships between seasonal and regional variation in water and electric energy use in New York and Texas.  We will compare spatially explicit weather data with regional energy use and water use data using a range of spatial statistics techniques.  Expected results will be partial correlation of energy and water use with both energy and water use increasing in hot weather.  We anticipate that estimated relationships between seasonal water and electricity demands will facilitate collaboration between water and energy utilities to manage the consumption nexus.