Water needs energy, energy needs water

Rapid growth of populations and economies in several regions of the world steadily increases the pressure on natural resources. Current predictions estimate a close to 50 % increase in total energy consumption over the next 25 years.  In a similar way, the need for fresh water resources to sustain human life and natural systems as well as productive activities such as agriculture, industry and tourism is growing.

Water plays an integral part in both the production of energy related feed-stock as well as in power generating activities. Still, the role of water in energy production is relatively unexplored. The need to understand the water and energy nexus in a world of increasing demands, climate variability and potentially dwindling water resources is clear.

The cluster group on water and energy aims to better understand the linkages between energy and water and to increase awareness of a comparably unexplored aspect of freshwater usage. This will be done by drawing on experiences from a wide group of Swedish stakeholders in order to identify future challenges and ways to manage these. By doing so, the ambition is to draw attention to the issue and provide knowledge that can aid Swedish and international decision making and policy development in a world with rapidly changing conditions.