Water Energy Carbon Group
The Water-Energy-Carbon Group group conducts research and teaching regarding water, energy and greenhouse gas flows influenced by water in cities.
The group contributes to the design of more efficient cities and systems through metabolic analysis and benchmarking to inform policy. They measure and model how settlements and systems consume water and energy. By understanding and simulating the cause-and-effect impacts of changes to water systems on energy, and vice-versa, the group identifies how future pressures such as population growth and climate change will influence resources consumption together with strategies for combined efficiency - for example in the development of water security strategies. By studying water and energy together we can guide integrated water and energy planning, strategy, and policy to avoid unintended burden-shifting. The tools the group uses and builds include material flow analysis (MFA), water balance analysis, urban metabolism, environmental life cycle assessment (LCA), environmentally-extended input-output (IO) analysis, and spatially-linked data analysis (GIS).
The group is highly engaged with industry. This includes research with the Victorian Water Sector, Water Research Foundation (USA), and United States Utilities and government agencies, Asian Development Bank, CRC Water Sensitive Cities and their partners, and others.
The Water-Energy-Carbon Group conducts research on water, energy and carbon (greenhouse gases) flows through our society at various scales – technology, household, suburb, utility, industry, city, region, production systems and economy. We contribute to the design of more efficient cities and systems through metabolic analysis and benchmarking to inform policy.
We measure and model how settlements and systems consume water and energy, the inter-connections (nexus) between them, and the influence on costs, greenhouse gases (GHG) and environmental footprints. This helps us understand system efficiency and susceptibility to resource depletion in light of future pressures such as population growth and climate change. Some of our research also extends into the resource efficiency and environmental impacts of production systems, such as food supply chains and bio-production.
The group is particularly interested in how water use influences energy use (and GHG) and vis versa. By studying water and energy together we can guide water and energy efficiency planning, strategy, and policy to avoid unintended burden-shifting. The tools the group uses and builds include material flow analysis (MFA), water balance analysis, urban metabolism, environmental life cycle assessment (LCA), environmentally-extended input-output (IO) analysis, and spatially-linked data analysis (GIS).
The Sustainable Cities Design Challenge successfully promotes collaboration and interdisciplinary work to design the cities of tomorrow.
What is the Sustainable Cities Design Challenge? What are we actually calling this???
Throughout workshops, interactive activities, field trips and group sessions with experts and leading academics, multidisciplinary teams work together on a case study to improve sustainable city design and liveability. Teams compete in a game-based environment to solve this challenge.
The Challenge
Regional population is growing, but how do we ensure new developments are more liveable, efficient, sustainable, resilient and resource efficient? How do we integrate water and energy systems into existing infrastructure while taking advantage of the benefits distributed systems offer?
Your multidisciplinary team will work together on a case study to solve this problem.
The Process
Just prior to the Design Challenge, you’ll receive preliminary readings relevant to the subjects, and a handbook with background information on the roles, team assignments, rules and expectations.
Survey questions will help identify participant views and knowledge in water and energy applications so appropriate team placements can be made and effectiveness of the challenge determined.
Days 1–3 of the five-day event are lectures, interactive activities and site visits. Days 4 and 5 involve intense group work with support of academics and professionals.