Issue 10, 2023

Next generation decentralized water systems: a water-energy-infrastructure-human nexus (WEIHN) approach

Abstract

The escalating challenge of water scarcity, intensified by water-energy interdependency, demands an urgent shift towards sustainable solutions. As this concern heightens, the focus on water-energy-infrastructure-human nexus (WEIHN) becomes pivotal to achieving sustainable and resilient water management strategies. In the context of rapid urbanization and population growth, decentralized water systems (DWS) have emerged as a promising alternative to centralized water systems (CWS), offering cost-effective and environmentally sustainable solutions tailored to local water needs and demands. However, a comprehensive and integrative analysis of the economic, social, and environmental impacts needs to be considered before the implementation of DWS in WEIHN. Therefore, analyzing WEIHN at a cross-sectoral level and exploring the roles of infrastructure and humans can provide valuable insights into the challenges and opportunities associated with DWS development. This review provides a forward-looking roadmap that highlights the critical roles of the infrastructure and human perspectives in WEIHN. First, we identify roadblocks in the CWS and then point out the targeted areas supporting DWS. Second, we investigate the current capability and limitation of infrastructure spatial configuration, safety-related metrics, and interdependency in WEIHN. Third, we emphasize the significance of various human roles, including end-users, operators, and decision-makers in WEIHN. Finally, based on the review findings in water, energy, infrastructure, and human dimensions, we conduct a comprehensive in-depth analysis of innovative technologies (e.g., sensor fusion, digital water infrastructure) and effective management policies.

Graphical abstract: Next generation decentralized water systems: a water-energy-infrastructure-human nexus (WEIHN) approach

Article information

Article type
Critical Review
Submitted
10 jul 2023
Accepted
28 aug 2023
First published
28 aug 2023
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY-NC license

Environ. Sci.: Water Res. Technol., 2023,9, 2446-2471

Next generation decentralized water systems: a water-energy-infrastructure-human nexus (WEIHN) approach

Y. Huang, J. Zhang, Z. Ren, W. Xiang, I. Sifat, W. Zhang, J. Zhu and B. Li, Environ. Sci.: Water Res. Technol., 2023, 9, 2446 DOI: 10.1039/D3EW00506B

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported Licence. You can use material from this article in other publications, without requesting further permission from the RSC, provided that the correct acknowledgement is given and it is not used for commercial purposes.

To request permission to reproduce material from this article in a commercial publication, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party commercial publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements