Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category

‘Floatovoltaic’ Solar Panels on Lakes Could Unlock Lots of Clean Energy

Via Canary Media, an article on new research that finds that covering even a small portion of a lake or reservoir’s surface with floating solar panels could generate a significant amount of electricity: A reservoir is many things: a source of drinking water, a playground for swimmers, a refuge for migrating birds. But if you ask solar-power enthusiasts, a reservoir is also not […]

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The Colorado Provides Drinking Water to 40 Million People. Do They Know What Utah Does to It Upstream?

Via Mother Jones, a look at the fracking-related watergy crisis on the Colorado River: From the water, the White River canyon was a scene worthy of Ansel Adams. Swallows darted in and out of mud houses packed on the underside of the soaring sandstone cliffs. A lone elk wandered the hillside, while sheep noshed along the […]

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Abnormally Dry Canada Taps U.S. Energy, Reversing Usual Flow

Via the New York Times, a report on how lower-than-normal rain and snow have reduced Canada’s hydropower production, raising worries in the industry about the effects of climate change: In February, the United States did something that it had not done in many years — the country sent more electricity to Canada than it received […]

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Ecuador Is Literally Powerless in the Face of Drought

Via Wired, an article on the impact that drought has had upon Ecuador’s power sector: Drought-stricken hydro dams have led to daily electricity cuts in Ecuador. As weather becomes less predictable due to climate change, experts say other countries need to take notice Ecuador is in trouble: Drought has shrunk its reservoirs, and its hydroelectric […]

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Crude Awakening: Fast Rising Seas Threaten Global Oil Trade & Energy Security

Courtesy of China Water Risk, a look at how almost 2/3rds of global oil produced is shipped by sea but 12 of the Top 15 Tanker Terminals are impacted at just 1m of rising seas. CWR’s new report reveals why oil no longer provides energy security but instead threatens it CWR released a new report: “Crude […]

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First Continental Scale Study Weighs Floating Solar Panels Against New Dam Construction

Via Anthropocene, a look at the potential of floating solar versus new dam construction and concludes that floating solar could negate the need for many—if not all—planned dams in Africa, and add climate change resilience at the same time: Floating solar panels on existing hydropower reservoirs could, in the best-case scenario, make it unnecessary to construct […]

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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.”