The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has announced the renewal of funding for the National Alliance for Water Innovation (NAWI), DOE’s energy innovation hub for desalination.
With $75 million allocated over the next five years for the second phase of the Hub, NAWI will continue to assemble a consortium of industry and academic partners to address the critical technical barriers and research necessary to significantly reduce the cost and energy consumption of water purification technologies.
The advancements in desalination technologies will contribute to the modernization of America’s water infrastructure, enhance access to clean, potable water for all Americans, and steer the country toward a net-zero emissions economy by 2050.
“Water and energy are interdependent—water is used to produce nearly every major energy source, and energy is critical to transporting and treating water,” said Jeff Marootian, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.
“The deep connection between these two resources demands an integrated approach that considers the challenges and opportunities inherent to both sectors. The Department of Energy is proud to be leading the nation’s efforts to decarbonize the water economy, while ensuring a secure water future for communities nationwide.”
The current water supply systems in the U.S. heavily rely on fresh surface and groundwater, with a small proportion derived from desalinated salt water. However, factors such as climate change, population growth, increased industrial and agricultural demand, and shifts in water usage patterns are placing growing pressure on these fresh water supplies globally.
To meet the water needs of the future, it is imperative for the U.S. to develop technologies that offer alternative water sources and facilitate efficient, sustainable, cost-effective water treatment methods with minimal energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.
NAWI and its partners from industry, government, and academia are investing in technologies to mitigate the impact on the water cycle.
These technologies will concentrate on treating water from alternative sources such as brackish groundwater and various wastewaters to produce water that is more suitable for specific purposes, all while reducing emissions and energy usage associated with traditional water treatment.
Over the past five years, NAWI has funded over 60 projects, including pilots and initiatives across the United States focusing on a range of water treatment and desalination processes, novel automation and water treatment technologies, as well as modeling tools and analysis.
Additionally, the hub has released the NAWI Master Roadmap and five sector-specific roadmaps (power, resource extraction, industry, municipal, and agriculture) outlining key technical challenges and research priorities in desalination and treatment of nontraditional source waters.
Source :U.S. Department of Energy
