The Pivotal Parallels of Water and Energy

Nate Berg examines the nexus between water use and energy use, and the need to bring this frequently overlooked connection to the attention of planners and designers.

1 minute read

March 28, 2012, 9:00 AM PDT

By Alesia Hsiao


In an effort to shed light on the inexorable link between water and energy, Berg points to the high use of energy in transporting water and the high use of water in creating energy. For example, In 2005, "the California Energy Commission found that water-related energy use accounts for 19 percent of the state's energy use."

This concern was the main focus of a conference hosted by the Arid Lands Institute last week, which laid the groundwork for emerging designs and ideas on smart water uses. The design fields are just beginning to develop processes to help integrate these resources, which has traditionally been the purview of engineers.

Hadley Arnold, co-director of the Arid Lands Institute affirms that the resources of water and energy cannot be separated. "When you sit down to come up with your general plan or your sustainability plan or your climate action plan, if you're not looking at water goals, energy goals and climate goals as all aligning, you're missing an opportunity,"

Tuesday, March 27, 2012 in The Atlantic Cities

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