Revisiting the Management of Water–Energy Systems under the Umbrella of Resilience Optimization

Abstract

The optimal management of sociotechnical systems across the water–energy nexus is a critical issue for the overall goal of sustainable development. However, the new challenges induced by global crises and sudden changes require a paradigm shift in order to ensure tolerance against such kinds of disturbance that are beyond their “normal” operational standards. This may be achieved by incorporating the concept of resilience within the procedure for extracting optimal management policies and assessing their performance by means of well-designed stress tests. The proposed approach is investigated by using as proof of concept the complex and highly extended water resource system of Athens, Greece.

Keywords

• parameterization-simulation-optimization
• reliability
• pumping cost
• sustainability
• stress test
• operational rules