IIT-H, Monash university analysis moots geothermal energy

An extensive analysis by the Indian Institute of Technology, Hyderabad (IIT-H) and Monash University, Australia, has led researchers to suggest that geothermal energy (using earth’s heat to generate power) is better than photovoltaic energy, in terms of carbon dioxide emissions

Geothermal Power Corridor- connecting the Middle East Countries

The Middle East economy and life depend on imports, be it food, water, or energy, despite each country in the region having enormous energy resources to exploit and reduce dependency on countries outside the region and develop a socioeconomic model of regional cooperation and synergy. An estimated 371 TWh of electricity available from geothermal energy resources can be utilized by these countries to support basic needs and be free from food-energy-water imports by sharing their energy resources. The total amount of CO2 emissions from these countries is currently 945 x 106 kg, so these countries can further earn about 92 million euros from carbon savings, by using geothermal energy along this corridor. This amount can be utilized for augmenting the energy supply from geothermal sources. In this work, the available geothermal resources are evaluated, and suggestions are made how this energy can be best utilized for peaceful existence and cooperation in the region

Quantifying the water footprint of an urban agglomeration in developing economy

Sustainable conservation of natural resources has become a primary concern for urban cities, globally as they are centers of consumption and economy. Due to population growth, cities depend more on imports of food, energy, water, and services from all over the globe, and consume more virtual water than direct water, because of their food habits and lifestyle. Most of the imported goods are water intensive and pose challenges in tracing the source of virtual water. The goal of this research is to develop a general framework to assess the water footprint (WF) of a typical city in India using existing databases. A consumer-centric approach has been adopted for assessing WF in Hyderabad Metro Development Area (HMDA). The variation of the WF across economic classes of consumers is also analyzed. The WF is estimated based on four broad categories: 1) food consumption, 2) fossil fuels based energy, 3) electric power, and 4) direct water. Average WF of HMDA region is 1041 m3/cap/year (2852 LPCD), in which 70% (1986 LPCD) of WF was consumed by food, 25% (744 LPCD) by electric power, only 4% (121 LPCD) is from direct water consumption and surprisingly the contribution from fossil fuel WF to total per capita WF of HMDA area is less than 1%

Water footprint study by IIT Hyderabad under HMDA region

The Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad (IIT-H) researchers, after having undertaken a study of water footprint in the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA), found that agriculture accounts for nearly 70 per cent consumption of ‘physical’ water, in what is known as the ‘Green water footprint’

Farm sector uses 70% water, says IIT Hyderabad research

The Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad (IIT-H) researchers, after having undertaken a study of water footprint in the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA), found that agriculture accounts for nearly 70 per cent consumption of ‘physical’ water, in what is known as the ‘Green water footprint’

IIT study examines city’s hidden water guzzlers

The Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad (IIT-H) researchers, after having undertaken a study of water footprint in the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA), found that agriculture accounts for nearly 70 per cent consumption of ‘physical’ water, in what is known as the ‘Green water footprint’

Water and Food Nexus: Role of Socio-Economic Status on Water–Food Nexus in an Urban Agglomeration Hyderabad, India Using Consumption Water Footprint

Cities are complex and evolving systems with various factors playing key roles, e.g., population increase, the migration of population, the availability of resources, and the flexibility of policies. Consumers’ socioeconomic status is also an important aspect that needs to be studied in the context of a self-reliant urban city in its resource consumption. In this regard, the association between water-food and socio-economic attributes was analyzed based on the consumer-centric approach for the Hyderabad Metro Development Authority (HMDA) region, India. In this study, the embedded water content in food consumption was estimated and analyzed for nine food groups and twelve economic classes of the HMDA region. The middle economic classes were found to correspond to ~80% of embedded water content in the HMDA region, followed by the upper and lower economic classes. Except for cereals, per capita, the water consumption of all food groups increased with the spending power of the economic class. The green, blue, and grey consumption water footprints (WFs) suggested that much of the water that is being consumed in the HMDA region is precipitation- driven, followed by surface and groundwater resources. Limited water resources, water resource variability, climate change consequences including future climate projections, uncertainty in data, WF estimates, and region’s future growth imply a detailed study in drafting policies to become a self-reliant region. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland

A brief overview on geothermal scaling

Hot spring waters are rich in terms of minerals. Since there are dramatic changes in thermodynamic parameters in geothermal power plants, such as a decrease in temperature and pressure, severe precipitation occurs throughout the system components in an uncontrolled manner. There are three main chemistries in deposits: carbonates (mainly calcium carbonates), silicates (metal silicates), and sulphides (antimony sulphide-stibnite). Energy harvesting is remarkably reduced out of the insulating nature of the deposit. Various actions need to be taken to mitigate this undesirable issue of scaling in geothermal systems. Geothermal systems are in fact quite complex, and the composition of brine and, accordingly, the chemistry of the deposit are not identical. Therefore, each system should be studied individually, and a tailor-made remedy should be developed. In this overview, the types of deposits in terms of chemistry and the actions (pH modification or antiscalant dosing) that should be taken to reduce scaling are mentioned, and potential chemistries of antiscalants are given