Emerging Scientific and Engineering Opportunities within the Water-Energy Nexus

Energy and water resources are deeply interconnected. In the United States, the water sector consumes similar to 4% of primary energy, and energy generation is the sector where the most water is withdrawn. These competing water-energy demands are global and not unique to the U.S.; this highlights an urgent role for first-principles scientific innovation. The goal of this perspective is to define the scientific context of the water-energy nexus and examine ways in which developing technologies could have an impact on the future of deriving energy from water and, in turn, water from energy. Scientists, perched upon the steep slopes of demand curves for water and energy, are charged with developing enhanced techniques to enable a sustainable water and energy future. Inevitably though, for sustainability to be achieved, there must be a pairing of these innovative new technologies with a more cognizant public perception surrounding water use and reuse.