Abstract
Sustainable energy system solutions often require systematic consideration of water and land resources. Such a strategy leads to the food-energy-water nexus (FEWN) problem, which postulates that food, energy and water systems have to be analyzed holistically. The FEWN has received an increased interest in literature since it enables the derivation of sustainable solutions of challenges which are the result of an increasing global population and energy demand, together with decreasing water resources. Process Systems Engineering (PSE) can be utilized to this end since PSE is uniquely positioned to address sustainability challenges due to its systematic and qualitative nature. This work presents recent advancements of PSE methods applied to the FEWN. Therefore, the general problem statement, and challenges, together with state-of-the-art methods of the nexus is identified with a focus on mathematical modeling and optimization. A key challenge is the multiscale nature of the problem regarding the spatial and temporal dimensions, where AI/machine learning data-driven methods are frequently employed. Future research directions, modeling gaps, and open problems are also briefly highlighted.
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Martino, M.D., Allen, R.C., Pistikopoulos, E.N. (2023). The Food-Energy-Water Nexus in Sustainable Energy Systems Solutions. In: Fathi, M., Zio, E., Pardalos, P.M. (eds) Handbook of Smart Energy Systems. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-97940-9_168
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