Simulation and Evaluation of Electric Power Flow to Predict Regional U.S. Water Footprints

The U.S. national power grid transfers energy in and out of different regions constantly and simultaneously creates a flow of virtual water. A traded good, such as energy, has a corresponding amount of water used for its generation, a concept known as water footprint. When energy is generated in one region and consumed elsewhere, the water footprint of that energy generation is displaced. The flow of energy between generation and consumption points, representing the water footprints' transfer, is defined as "virtual water flow". This research traces energy flows between 134 regions in the United States to determine the water footprint for each region and to provide data on the exact paths the energy takes from each source to its ultimate sink. While literature exists for calculating regional water footprints in the U.S. for past years, this research aims to validate our existing model that provides results for 340 unique projections covering the years from 2010 to 2050. Our robust simulation traces electricity flow to predict regional U.S. water footprints given cyclic or acyclic flow chains. The think-aloud user study we implemented questions whether our model is accurate, effective, and useful according to subject-matter experts. This energy flow model representing virtual water flows can be an asset to environmental policy makers by providing insight into how different regions impose water stress on other regions. In addition it could be used as a way to see how different regions' water footprint might change with shifting energy production technologies.