Argonne National Laboratory Updates Model To Help Bioenergy Developers Conserve Water

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Argonne National Laboratory recently released an updated version of an online computer model, called Water Analysis Tool for Energy Resources (WATER), meant to help bioenergy developers preserve critical resources.

This map depicts water availability by county; areas shown in orange are under higher levels of water stress. Image courtesy of Argonne National Laboratory.

This tool provides an in-depth analysis of water consumption used in the development of bioenergy. It allows industry leaders, government, academia, and the general public to make better informed decisions about what types of feedstocks are most appropriate for use in water-limited areas. Feedstocks are the raw materials from which bioenergy is made, including grasses, corn stover, forest wood residues, and algae.

WATER, funded by the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy's Bioenergy Technologies Office at DOE, models all the water available in a region, down to the county level, so decision makers can balance the needs of bioenergy with agriculture, power, and other industries with the water available.

Learn more about the WATER computer model.