Chowdhury, S; Ren, Z; Rouhana, F; Wang, J and Zhu, J (2024) Exploring sustainability in resource management: Implementation of a water-energy-human nexus framework at a university campus. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 150(10): 04024140, ISSN 0733-9364
Abstract
The intricate relationship between water and energy resources is embodied in the concept of water-energy nexus (WEN), emphasizing the need for a unified strategy to manage these vital resources with sustainability objectives like efficiency, cost savings, and emissions reduction in mind. To delve deeper into this relationship, this research presents a study focusing on the dynamics of the water-energy-human nexus (WEHN) specific to the academic environment of a university. It aims to delve into the multifaceted interactions among human behaviors, water usage, wastewater, and energy systems. This cohesive framework captures the symbiotic relationship between human-centric strategies - spanning end-users to high-level decision makers, technical facets, and environmental subsystems. To address this intricacy, our approach adopts an emergy-centric system dynamics (SD) model to map out these detailed interdependencies specific to academic environments. Simulation experiments were conducted using the SD model to test various sustainability improvement strategies. Results showed that influencing end-user's water and electricity usage behaviors and operational decisions regarding space heating could be effective in reducing the overall emergy and improving system sustainability. It was also observed that when combining several strategies, the effect could be less than the sum of the effects of individual strategies. The proposed WEHN framework and emergy-based SD modeling provided a valuable approach for planners and decision makers to quantitatively assess sustainability of complex systems and evaluate different sustainability enhancement strategies. This study also bridges the gap between sustainability assessment and practical application, offering the construction engineering and management global community an easy-to-use framework to navigate and enhance complex infrastructural ecosystems.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | cogeneration; energy; sustainability; system dynamics model; water-energy nexus; water-energy-human nexus |
| Index terms: | simulation experiment, complex system, efficiency, interaction, implementation, modelling, cost saving, resource management, energy system, dynamics, construction engineering, planner, strategy, energy resource, human behaviour, sustainability assessment, system dynamics, space heating |
| Subjects: | health behaviours and lifestyles, analytical methods, contractual arrangements, sustainability assessment, behavioral psychology, mechanical systems, profession, control systems, computing systems, modelling and simulation, energy systems, engineering methods, economics, performance management, management, systems engineering |
| Topics: | Digital Applications, Roles and Professions, Research Practice, Business Strategy, Cost Management, Quality Management, Procurement, Sustainability, Project Management, Engineering Principles |
| Descriptive scope: | 4 PCTA |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here