Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Applied Energy journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/apenergy Water withdrawal and consumption reduction for electrical energy generation systems Narjes Nouri a , Farhad Balali b,d , Adel Nasiri c,d, ⁎ , Hamid Seifoddini b , Wilkistar Otieno b a Lubar School of Business, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI 53211, USA b Department of Industrial Engineering, College of Engineering & Applied Science, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, WI 53211, USA c Department of Electrical Engineering, College of Engineering & Applied Science, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, WI 53211, USA d Center for Sustainable Electrical Energy Systems, USA HIGHLIGHTS • A model is presented to minimize the amount of water consumed by the energy sector. • The model dispatches the generation-cooling mix to quantify water consumption. • Electricity demand in California needs a minimum of 58,673 cubic meters of water. • 16% reduction in the California electricity usage cuts the water consumption by 94%. • No hydro generation in California reduces water consumption by 61%. ARTICLE INFO Keywords: Electricity generation Water consumption Water energy nexus Water withdrawal ABSTRACT Water is the greatest resource for life on earth. Various human activities affect the quality and quantity of this precious resource, and there are many initiatives to ensure water resources are protected from overuse, pollu- tion, and industrial and agricultural waste. Since the energy sector is the second largest consumer of water after agriculture, water and energy systems are highly interlinked. Specifically, a significant amount of water is used in the energy generation process primarily for producing steam and for cooling processes, the water used for cooling processes will be returned back to the reservoir. Consequently, most fossil-based power plants in ad- dition to consuming water, impact the water resources by raising the temperature of water withdrawn for cooling. Limited water resources can also affect the ability to generate electric power to meet the demand. Therefore, integrated planning for the interleaved energy and water sectors is essential for both water and energy savings. This paper describes a comprehensive study that analyzes and quantifies water withdrawals and consumption of various electricity generation sources such as coal, natural gas and renewable sources. The study has developed a general model to determine the water consumption and impact for various energy generation scenarios and to minimize the amount of water consumption while considering several limitations and restric- tions. A case study performed for the state of California indicates that quantification of water consumption can be formulated and potential opportunities for water saving can be identified. 1. Introduction The water-energy-nexus is a recent topic of concern, which mostly focuses on the balance between the available sources of water and energy in different sectors. The relation between water and energy has gotten increased attention as world water resources have started to shrink and the generated energy has not been able to meet the demand. The water-energy-nexus can include any activity that leads to more efficient resource utilization that greatly affects the economic and en- vironmental conditions within a sector. The purpose of water-energy nexus research is to help policymakers and planners ensure the avail- ability of these resources for future uses, minimize large-scale invest- ment, and reduce the negative environmental effects [1]. The water-energy-nexus is also a global concern. Stambouli et al. [2] stated that an effective solution to the entire supply chain of water- energy-nexus is needed with increasing global demand for energy and it https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2019.04.023 Received 20 November 2018; Received in revised form 14 March 2019; Accepted 9 April 2019 ⁎ Corresponding author. E-mail address: nasiri@uwm.edu (A. Nasiri). URL: https://uwm.edu/eepowerlab/ (A. Nasiri). Applied Energy 248 (2019) 196–206 0306-2619/ © 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. T