Water - MESSAGE-GLOBIOM
| Corresponding documentation | |
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| Previous versions | |
| Model information | |
| Model link | |
| Institution | International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), Austria, http://data.ene.iiasa.ac.at. |
| Solution concept | General equilibrium (closed economy) |
| Solution method | Optimization |
| Anticipation | |
Large amounts of water are currently being used in the energy sector. For assessing long-term freshwater sustainability, MESSAGE has been adapted to quantify the impact of energy system transformations on water.
The majority of energy sector freshwater withdrawal occurs in the steam-cycle and cooling systems related to thermoelectric power plants. Once through and closed-loop cooling technologies are distinguished in the model. In the following the differences between these two technologies are presented:
Once-through cooling technology - water is passed through the cooling system once, and then returned to its source. Closedloop systems - water that is withdrawn is re-circulated.
The water source (fresh or saline) is further distinguished across technologies. Also air-cooled systems are considered, which provide an opportunity to reduce energy system reliance on water. The choice of model formulation enables consistent representation of water use across power plant types and incorporates water impacts of heat-rate improvements due to anticipated long-term technological change. Moreover, the approach enables analysis of thermal water pollution from once-through cooled thermal power plants by allowing quantification of the heat energy embodied in cooling system effluents.
(Fricko et al, 2016MSG-GLB_fricko_energy_2016)