Decision Science, Support, and Informatics

NREL provides objective, technology-neutral decision support using data, analysis, tools, and market insights to help decision makers address technical, policy, social, and economic barriers to support optimized energy-water-land system integration.

Photo of four people listening to a man explaining data on a computer screen.

Capabilities

NREL offers the following integrated water system decision science, support, and informatics capabilities.

Policy, Program, Strategy, and Project Development

NREL provides analysis and market expertise to comprehensively inform planning, policy, regulatory, and economic development that supports partners’ energy, water, and land use goals.

Key Staff

Jennifer Daw, Alicen Kandt, Gail Mosey, Erik Ness, Dan Olis, Sherry Stout, Adam Warren

Publications

Clean Energy Solutions Center Resource Library: Energy-Water-Food Nexus

USVI Energy Road Map: Charting the Course to a Clean Energy Future, NREL Brochure (2011)

Energy-Water-Land System Designs

NREL provides analysis and expertise to foster innovation and inform the design and operation of the physical infrastructure to support integrated energy-water-land systems using its models, tools, and best practices.  

Key Staff

Jennifer Daw, Megan Day, Alicen Kandt, Jordan Macknick, James McCall, Josh Sperling, Sherry Stout

Publications

Energy-Water Microgrid Opportunity Analysis at the University of Arizona’s Biosphere 2 Facility, NREL Technical Report (2018)

Overview of Opportunities for Co-Location of Solar Energy Technologies and Vegetation, NREL Technical Report (2013)

Project Development and Financing Strategies

NREL helps decision makers address economic development goals, prioritize investments, identify financing strategies, and assess pathways to understand the trade-offs and opportunities of cost-effective energy-water-land system integration.

Key Staff

Chuck Kurnik, Paul Schwabe, Jenny Sumner

Publications

Outdoor Irrigation Measurement and Verification Protocol, NREL Subcontract Report (2017)

Cooling Tower (Evaporative Cooling System) Measurement and Verification Protocol, NREL Subcontract Report (2018)

Environmental Change and Resilience Assessments

NREL supports energy, water, and land system resilience, security, and integration using its models, tools, and expertise. This work helps identify, value, and address system vulnerabilities to inform partner goals.

Key Staff

Eliza Hotchkiss, Alicen Kandt, Gail Mosey, Sherry Stout

Publications

USAID-NREL Partnership: Resilient Energy Platform

Resilience Roadmap 

Emerging Areas

Cross-sectoral energy, water, and land-use behaviors and decision-making

Contact

Jennifer Daw

Strategy, Policy, and Implementation Group Manager

Jennifer.Daw@nrel.gov
303-275-4678