Water and Energy: Introducing the Water-Energy Nexus.

When you think of energy efficiency, water is probably the last thing you would think about, but in fact, it should be the first. Because whether you’re turning on the lights in your home, listening to the stereo, or watching the television, all that is possible because of water that is used to generate electricity. The connection between water and energy isn’t always obvious, but in fact large amounts of energy is used to pump, convey, treat, deliver, and heat water for people. Then more energy is needed to collect, treat, and discharge waste water.

Water is used to produce energy in the cooling of power plants; in extracting, transporting, and processing of fuels; to power water treatment facilities and much more. Just as producing water requires a lot of energy, harnessing energy requires lots of water. This connection between water and energy is called the water-energy nexus.

PUC's Cooling System at the Electricity House

 Using water for energy production reduces its availability, as well as its quality, leading to pollution and an increase in its temperature which is very bad for animals, plants and humans. Since water services like PUC rely heavily on energy, if there isn’t enough water to produce the energy, we will suffer because we won’t get the clean water or sanitation services that we need. That is why it’s important to use water as well as energy efficiently. If you use less energy, less water is used in its production. If you are using electricity or gas to heat water in your home or office, the less hot water you use, the less energy is needed. Did you know that leaving the hot water running for five minutes uses as much energy as operating a 60-W light bulb for 14 hours? PUC uses energy to purify and pump water to you, and treat your sewage; so basically, part of your water b ill is actually an electricity bill! So saving water reduces your water and electricity bill.

Saving water saves energy, and saving energy saves water. Conserving Seychelles’ water resource allows us to benefit from the service of electricity. Every month, PUC uses 750,000 litres on average to produce electricity. That’s equal to 4,166 bathtubs full of water every month! Water in the power stations is primarily used in the engine cooling water systems, steam production, operation of lube oil/fuel oil separators and cleaning activities. Since Seychelles has an increasing population, this makes it more difficult for PUC to produce energy for everybody since there is only a limited amount of water for them to use to produce that energy. Natural disasters such as cyclones, floods, landslides or droughts, severely affects Seychelles’ water system, polluting it and forcing PUC to use more energy to produce desalinated water, to ensure that there is enough potable water for everyone to use. 

All forms of power production require water to operate, but using Solar PV and wind power to produce energy requires less water than using coal and biofuels do.

Greenhouse gas emissions are directly linked to how much water we use. So if we increase the efficiency in which we use water, this will mean we will be using less energy and therefore reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. There are simple ways in which you can become more water efficient, save water and reduce your greenhouse gas footprint. This can be by:

•  Making sure nowhere is leaking water.
•  Using water-efficient labelled showerheads, toilets, and urinals, faucets, water-heaters, washing machines, and installing water flow control devices.
• Recycle water that you use to water your garden and plant more drought-resistant plants which need less watering.

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Example of a Rainwater Harvesting

Have a rainwater harvesting system for your home and office using water that falls straight from the sky! This takes the burden away from PUC to supply you with all your water needs. As well as saving you money on your water bills.

 

If we make this ‘drops-to-watts’ connection and do our part to become more water efficient, we can help to protect Seychelles from drought, lower our utility bills, and reduce global warming pollution. So remember, saving water saves energy and using less energy saves even more water, reducing Seychelles vulnerability to water and energy constraints!