Resilient Energy, Water and Infrastructure

Water-Energy

The hydrologic cycle (California Department of Water Resources).

Develop approaches for sustainable groundwater management and identification of new water resources including groundwater storage opportunities while reducing associated cost and energy demands and insuring water quality. Anticipate, assess, manage, and mitigate potential impacts of emerging energy technologies on water systems and quality.

Highlights

Project

Integrated Risk Management and Decision Support System (IRMDSS)

Underground natural gas storage (UGS) in California serves winter heating and summer cooling demands, and there is no immediate alternative to meeting California’s demand for natural gas during peak periods in winter (e.g. CCST report, 2018). Therefore it is critically important to ensure the safety and integrity of UGS infrastructure, especially considering that many of…

Overview

Water-Energy is an Energy Geosciences Division initiative within the Resilient Energy, Water and Infrastructure Program Domain.

Featured Projects

Project

Integrated Risk Management and Decision Support System (IRMDSS)

News & Events

Methane’s Short Lifespan Presents Golden Opportunity to Quickly Address Climate Change

November 10, 2021

This article appeared initially at newscenter.lbl.gov Oil and gas fields in Elk Hills, California are part of Berkeley Lab’s SUMMATION project on methane monitoring. (Credit: Andrew Moyes/Berkeley Lab) Sébastien Biraud is a Berkeley Lab scientist leading an effort to identify and mitigate some of the largest emitters of methane in California’s Southern San Joaquin Valley.…

International Nuclear Waste Disposal Research Effort Evaluates Maximum Allowable Temperature for Bentonite Buffer

September 28, 2021

Around the world in the many nations where nuclear power is used, isolating nuclear waste deep underground is deemed as the viable permanent solution. Geological repository for high-level nuclear waste, the type of nuclear waste created by the reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel, is usually a multi-barriers system that includes waste packages, engineered barrier system…

New Funding for Enhanced Geothermal Systems Research

The Berkeley Lab Geothermal Systems Program has been recommended for funding for two projects under a recent announcement by the DOE Geothermal Technology Office of a total of $12M in funding for seven research projects to advance the commercialization of enhanced geothermal systems. The first is led by EESA staff scientist Seiji Nakagawa, with collaborators from…

New Effort to Assess Caldor Fire Impact on Cosumnes River Basin

EESA Research Scientist Erica Woodburn has initiated a new effort to investigate the impact of the Caldor Fire on the Cosumnes River Basin. The team, which involves EESA research scientist Michelle Newcomer and faculty scientist Jackie Peña, has already begun working to measure water quality and ash/sediment in collaboration with a local citizen science field…

George Moridis Presented With Honorary Membership in the Society of Petroleum Engineers at Conference in Dubai

George Moridis, a senior scientist in the Energy Geosciences Division, has been awarded an Honorary Membership in the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) in recognition of outstanding scientific achievements. Moridis was presented the award at a ceremony during SPE’s Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition held in Dubai September 21-23. Moridis is being recognized for his…

NAWI Publishes Trailblazing Roadmap Series on Innovation for a Sustainable Water Future

August 25, 2021

For the American West, this summer served up reminder after stark reminder of the urgent need to address the country’s water security. The drying up of the Southwest’s most important river–the Colorado River which is the source of water for one in 10 Americans–is more than enough to sound the alarm. But far worse: As…