The water-energy nexus

The Stockholm Environment Institute has integrated two existing software tools, WEAP and LEAP, to address the 'water-energy nexus'—the interdependency where water is required for energy production and energy is required for water management. While WEAP models water demand and supply and LEAP handles energy and greenhouse gas mitigation planning, their integration allows planners to analyze tradeoffs, such as the energy intensity of desalination or the water requirements of concentrating solar power, which were previously difficult to assess using the tools in isolation.

• Water and energy systems are deeply interdependent, with water required for fuel extraction, processing, hydropower, and power-plant cooling, while energy is necessary for the pumping, treatment, and distribution of water.
• Climate change and water scarcity have increased conflicts between competing water demands for energy production, urban use, agricultural irrigation, and environmental systems, while the energy required for water services—particularly desalination and irrigation—increases greenhouse gas emissions.
• The integration of WEAP and LEAP via a common "wizard" allows the two systems to exchange parameters and results, such as cooling water requirements and hydropower generation, enabling planners to see how choices in one sector ripple through the other.
• Prior to integration, the tools had specific limitations: LEAP could model hydropower but ignored water scarcity constraints, while WEAP could calculate hydropower potential under various water scenarios but could not integrate that data into a broader energy system.

APA

Stockholm Environment Institute (2012). The water-energy nexus. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Air-land-water-resources/SEI-2012-WEAP-LEAP-Factsheet.pdf

Chicago

Stockholm Environment Institute. The water-energy nexus. 2012. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Air-land-water-resources/SEI-2012-WEAP-LEAP-Factsheet.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Stockholm Environment Institute |title=The water-energy nexus |date=2012 |url=https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Air-land-water-resources/SEI-2012-WEAP-LEAP-Factsheet.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{stockholmenvironmentinstitute2012waterenergy, author = {{Stockholm Environment Institute}}, title = {{The water-energy nexus}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2012}, url = {https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Air-land-water-resources/SEI-2012-WEAP-LEAP-Factsheet.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }