Water Resource Challenges in the Renewable Energy Transition: A Life Cycle and Climate Nexus Perspective
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.61173/asst5246Keywords:
Renewable energy, Water-energy nexus, Hy-dropowerAbstract
Water resources management faces unprecedented challenges in the renewable energy transition process. This paper systematically analyzes the impacts of green energy technologies, including solar, wind, hydropower and bioenergy, on water resources from an energy life-cycle perspective, covering the dimensions of water extraction, water consumption, water pollution and ecosystem disturbance. The study found that, despite the significant advantages of renewable energy in terms of carbon reduction, some technologies (e.g., hydropower and biomass) have a high-water footprint during the operation or feedstock production phase, and may lead to deterioration of water quality, ecosystem fragmentation, and regional conflicts, especially in water-stressed areas. In addition, climate change is altering both water availability and renewable energy generation efficiency, exacerbating the risks of water-energy-climate coupling and creating negative feedback loops. The article emphasizes that to achieve a truly sustainable green transition, it is necessary to advance interdisciplinary integration of policymaking, low water-dependency technological innovations, and prioritize the deployment of energy systems with a low water footprint in water-stressed regions. Future research should focus on integrated governance and technological synergies under the water-energy-climate linkage mechanism to crack the structural contradiction between resource and environmental pressures and energy development.
References
[1] Dai Jiangyu, Wu Shiqiang, Han Guoyi, Weinberg Josh, Xie Xinghua, Wu Xiufeng, Song Xingqiang, Jia Benyou, Xue Wanyun, Yang Qianqian. Water-energy nexus: A review of methods and tools for macro-assessment. Applied Energy, 2018, 210: 393-408.
[2] Olabi A.G., Abdelkareem Mohammad Ali. Renewable energy and climate change. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 2022, 158: 112111.
[3] Duan Cuncun, Chen Bin. Energy–water nexus of international energy trade of China. Applied Energy, 2017, 194: 725-734.
[4] Duan Cuncun, Chen Bin. Driving factors of water-energy nexus in China. Applied Energy, 2020, 257: 113984. https://doi. org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2019.113984.
[5] Al-Saidi Mohammad, Elagib Nadir Ahmed. Towards understanding the integrative approach of the water, energy and food nexus. Science of The Total Environment, 2017, 574: 1131- 1139.
[6] Nikolaos P. C., Marios F., Dimitris K. A Review of Pumped Hydro Storage Systems. Energies, 2023, 16(11): 4516.
[7] Bakken Tor Haakon, Killingtveit Ånund, Alfredsen Knut. The Water Footprint of Hydropower Production—State of the Art and Methodological Challenges. Global Challenges, 2017, 1(5): 1600018.
[8] Herath Indika, Deurer Markus, Horne David, Singh Ranvir, Clothier Brent. The water footprint of hydroelectricity: a methodological comparison from a case study in New Zealand. Journal of Cleaner Production, 2011, 19(14): 1582-1589.
[9] Bakken Tor Haakon, Modahl Ingunn Saur, Engeland Kolbjørn, Raadal Hanne Lerche, Arnøy Silje. The life-cycle water footprint of two hydropower projects in Norway. Journal of Cleaner Production, 2016, 113: 241-250.
[10] PV Magazine. (2023). Optimizing PV Cleaning Strategies for Arid Regions. https://www.pv-magazine.com
[11] Macknick, J., Newmark, R., Heath, G., & Hallett, K.C. (2012). Operational Water Consumption and Withdrawal Factors for Electricity Generating Technologies: A Review of Existing Literature. National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). NREL/TP-6A20-56900. https://www.nrel.gov/docs/ fy12osti/56900.pdf
[12] International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). (2021). Water Use in Concentrated Solar Power: A Global Outlook. Publication. https://www.irena.org/-/media/Files/IRENA/ Agency/Publication/2021/Oct/IRENA_Water_use_CSP_2021. pdf
[13] American Wind Energy Association (AWEA). (2020). The Environmental Benefits of Wind Power. Fact Sheet. https:// cleanpower.org/resources/the-environmental-benefits-of-windpower/
[14] U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). (2019). Water Use in U.S. Electricity Generation: An Update. Report. https://www. energy.gov/
[15] International Energy Agency (IEA). (2019). The Future of Hydrogen: Seizing today’s opportunities. Report. IEA. https:// www.iea.org/reports/the-future-of-hydrogen
[16] Dawood, F., & Višković, A. (2020). Water Consumption in Hydrogen Production via Electrolysis: A Review. Journal Dean&Francis ISSN 2959-6157 of Cleaner Production, 275, 123847. https://doi.org/10.1016/ j.jclepro.2020.123847
[17] Wang, Y., Chen, K. S., & Chou, S. K. (2011). Fuel cell: Current technology status and future prospects. Progress in Natural Science, 21(6), 614-621. https://doi.org/10.1016/ j.pnsc.2011.11.002
[18] Stillwell, A. S., Hoang, H. M., & VanBriesen, J. M. (2018). Water‐energy nexus: A review of the literature for water resources and energy researchers. WIREs Water, 5(3), e1296. https://doi.org/10.1002/wat2.1296
[19] Stokes, E. C., & Horvath, A. (2014). Life-cycle water consumption of solar photovoltaics and wind power in the Southwestern United States. Environmental Science & Technology, 48(16), 9924-9931. https://doi.org/10.1021/ es502409f
[20] Ayt Ougougdal, H., & El-Khori, M. (2023). More than 2.4 billion people have lived in water-scarce countries since 2000, and by 2025, that figure is predicted to increase to 4.8 billion. UNICEF.
[21] Kåresdotter, E., Destouni, G., Lammers, R. B., & Keskinen, M. (2024). Water conflicts under climate change: Research gaps and. PLoS Water, 3(1), e0000128.
[22] United Nations Climate Change. (2020). Climate change is now seen as a pressing global issue with severe implications for vulnerable regions. United Nations Climate Change.
[23] Alfandi, M., & Seçkiner, S. U. (2025). Renewable energy and greenhouse gas reduction for water supply in conflictaffected Syria. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 211, 115353.
[24] Al-Ghussain, L., Al-Abed, M., & Al-Abed, S. (2023). The major negative impacts are changing in water quality, relocation of people, changes in the structure of the land and aquatic communities, loss in agriculture production, landslides and slopes destabilization and changing in climate. Sustainability, 15(21), 15467.
[25] Karacan, A. (2015). THE TRIPLE CONFLICTS IN HYDRO PROJECTS: ENERGY, ECONOMY AND ENVIRONMENT. Journal of Environmental Protection, 6(05), 441.
[26] He, J., Li, Y., & Zhang, Y. (2024). Hydropower impacts on riverine biodiversity. Nature Reviews Earth & Environment.
[27] Munia, H., Rigi, M., & Warner, J. (2023). Transboundary river basin conflict risk under climate change and hydropower development. International Journal of Water Resources Development, 39(2), 263-285.
[28] Dartmouth. (2025). Using conflicts over hydropower development in the Mekong River basin, this project brings together research and education activities to explore how environmental knowledge production and circulation influences the governance of, and conflicts over, hydropower development. Dartmouth.
[29] Antonetti, J., Hayes, M., & Hayes, M. (2025). Environmental impact of hydropower: A systematic review of ecological effects of sub-daily flow. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.
[30] Sibale, D., Kranjac-Berisavljevic, G., & Abdul-Ganiyu, S. (2021). Impact of Reservoir Evaporation Losses on Water Demand: A Case Study of Bontanga Reservoir, Northern Region of Ghana. Journal of Water Resources Management, 1(1), 7-17.
[31] Al-Shetwi A Q. Sustainable development of renewable energy integrated power sector: Trends, environmental impacts, and recent challenges[J]. Science of The Total Environment, 2022, 822: 153645..
[32] PNNL. (2025). Hydropower operation in future power grid with various renewable power integration. PNNL.
[33] Popescu, F., & Popescu, L. (2023). Water Energy Nexus and Energy Transition—A Review. Energies, 16(4), 1879.
[34] Warner, E., Daioglou, V., & van Vuuren, D. P. (2020). Projected water usage and land-use-change emissions from biomass production (2015–2050). Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 120, 109657.
[35] Piao, S., Grafton, R. Q., Li, W., & Habib-ur-Rahman, M. (2024). Climate change impact on hydropower generation and. Journal of Water and Climate Change, 15(9), 4631-4648.
[36] Shrestha, S., & Baniya, S. (2021). Climate change impact on hydropower generation and. Journal of Water and Climate Change, 15(9), 4631-4648.
[37] Al-Ghussain, L., Al-Abed, M., & Al-Abed, S. (2025). Integrating renewable energy for power security under water stress scenarios due to climate change: Strategies and opportunities. ResearchGate.
[38] ResearchGate. (2025). Integrating renewable energy for power security under water stress scenarios due to climate change: Strategies and opportunities. ResearchGate.
[39] Alotaibi, A., & Al-Abed, S. (2023). Climate change leading to global warming and other associated concerns is expected to result in rising temperatures and precipitation deficit making water scarcity worse in the near future. Cambridge Prisms: Water, 1(1), e1.
[40] U.S. Department of Energy. (2014). The Water-Energy Nexus: Challenges and Opportunities. DOE/EE-1042.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 by the authors.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
