Archive for November, 2024

Pricing Energy for Groundwater: A Path to Sustainable Irrigation and Climate Resilience

Via Carbon Copy, a look at how pricing energy for groundwater extraction could promote more efficient use of both water and energy, arrest groundwater depletion, and make irrigation more sustainable: As Azerbaijan hosts the Conference of the Parties (COP29), it is worth noting that this water-scarce nation heavily depends on water inflow from upstream countries […]

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As Drought Shrivels Hydropower, Zambia Is Pivoting to Solar

Via Yale e360, a look at how an unprecedented drought has lowered reservoirs in hydropower-dependent Zambia, leading to economically crippling blackouts and spurring a push for solar. With multiple utility-scale arrays now in the works, the nation is betting on solar to increase its power capacity by a third. “When the lights are off, people […]

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Switzerland: Covering Alps With Floating Solar

Via Eco News, a look at Switzerland’s use of floating solar: Countries around the world are striving to establish a strong foothold in the energy sector. This goal could be achieved through a diverse portfolio of projects focused on generating energy from renewable sources like solar and wind. In this context, Switzerland has sparked global […]

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The Dam Dilemma: Europe’s Natural Rivers in Crisis

Via the Fair Observer, a look at new hydropower projects in the Balkans threaten to endanger the last wild rivers of Europe. Despite the large environmental impact of traditional hydropower plants as well as the climate-related risk of investment, developers continue to push for new dams. Conservation groups are raising awareness and advocating for stronger […]

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About This Blog And Its Author
As the scarcity of water and energy continues to grow, the linkage between these two critical resources will become more defined and even more acute in the months ahead.  This blog is committed to analyzing and referencing articles, reports, and interviews that can help unlock the nascent, complex and expanding linkages between water and energy -- The Watergy Nexus -- and will endeavor to provide a central clearinghouse for insightful articles and comments for all to consider.

Educated at Yale University (Bachelor of Arts - History) and Harvard (Master in Public Policy - International Development), Monty Simus has held a lifelong interest in environmental and conservation issues, primarily as they relate to freshwater scarcity, renewable energy, and national park policy.  Working from a water-scarce base in Las Vegas with his wife and son, he is the founder of Water Politics, an organization dedicated to the identification and analysis of geopolitical water issues arising from the world’s growing and vast water deficits, and is also a co-founder of SmartMarkets, an eco-preneurial venture that applies web 2.0 technology and online social networking innovations to motivate energy & water conservation.  He previously worked for an independent power producer in Central Asia; co-authored an article appearing in the Summer 2010 issue of the Tulane Environmental Law Journal, titled: “The Water Ethic: The Inexorable Birth Of A Certain Alienable Right”; and authored an article appearing in the inaugural issue of Johns Hopkins University's Global Water Magazine in July 2010 titled: “H2Own: The Water Ethic and an Equitable Market for the Exchange of Individual Water Efficiency Credits.”