Abstract
The water–energy–food nexus (WEF nexus) concept is a novel approach to manage limited resources. Since 2011, a number of studies were conducted to develop computer simulation models quantifying the interlinkage among water, energy, and food sectors. Advancing a nationwide WEF nexus simulation model (WEFSiM) previously developed by the authors, this study proposes an optimization module (WEFSiM-opt) to assist stakeholders in making informed decisions concerning sustainable resource management. Both single- and multi-objective optimization modules were developed to maximize the user reliability index (URI) for water, energy, and food sectors by optimizing the priority index and water allocation decisions. In this study, the developed models were implemented in Korea to determine optimal resource allocation and management decisions under a plausible drought scenario. This study suggests that the optimization approach can advance WEF nexus simulation and provide better solutions for managing limited resources. It is anticipated that the proposed WEFSiM-opt can be utilized as a decision support tool for designing resource management plans.
Highlights
Due to the rapidly increasing world population, water, energy, and food have become vulnerable resources
WEF nexus simulation model (WEFSiM)-opt can support optimal decisions for stakeholders involved in creating sustainable resource management plans
The multi-objective genetic algorithm (MOGA) maximized the four objective functions simultaneously in a single optimization run to produce a set of Pareto optimal solutions
Summary
Due to the rapidly increasing world population, water, energy, and food have become vulnerable resources. Global demand for these resources is increasing, while the available quantities are decreasing or limited. The world population is predicted to increase by up to 80 million per year and to reach 9.1 billion in 2050 This population growth will naturally increase the consumption of water, energy, and food [1]. To interpret and quantify the WEF nexus, several simulation models were developed and applied worldwide. Water–Energy–Food Nexus Simulation Model (hereafter, WEFSiM) that quantifies and evaluates the interconnections between the water, energy, and food sectors [11]. WEFSiM-opt can support optimal decisions for stakeholders involved in creating sustainable resource management plans. A simulation performed utilizing WEFSiM-opt is described, the results are presented, and conclusions are provided
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