Articles | Volume 23, issue 10
https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-23-4129-2019
© Author(s) 2019. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-23-4129-2019
© Author(s) 2019. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
08 Oct 2019
Research article |
| 08 Oct 2019
| 08 Oct 2019
WHAT-IF: an open-source decision support tool for water infrastructure investment planning within the water–energy–food–climate nexus
Department of Environmental Engineering, Technical University of
Denmark, Kgs. Lyngby, 2800, Denmark
COWI A/S, Kgs. Lyngby, 2800, Denmark
Mikkel Kromann
COWI A/S, Kgs. Lyngby, 2800, Denmark
Silvio Pereira-Cardenal
COWI A/S, Kgs. Lyngby, 2800, Denmark
Kenneth Marc Strzepek
MIT, Joint Program on the Science and Policy of Global Change, 77 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
Peter Bauer-Gottwein
Department of Environmental Engineering, Technical University of
Denmark, Kgs. Lyngby, 2800, Denmark
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- The Water-Energy-Food Nexus Index: A Tool to Support Integrated Resource Planning, Management and Security G. Simpson et al. https://doi.org/10.3389/frwa.2022.825854
- Systems thinking on the resource nexus: Modeling and visualisation tools to identify critical interlinkages for resilient and sustainable societies and institutions C. Laspidou et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.137264
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- Methods for assessing climate uncertainty in energy system models — A systematic literature review L. Plaga & V. Bertsch https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2022.120384
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- Water for Tomorrow: A Living Lab on the Creation of the Science-Policy-Stakeholder Interface A. Alamanos et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/w14182879
- A Systematic Review of Socio-Technical Systems in the Water–Energy–Food Nexus: Building a Framework for Infrastructure Justice E. Shrimpton & N. Balta-Ozkan https://doi.org/10.3390/su16145962
- Trade-offs and synergies in the water-energy-food nexus: The case of Saskatchewan, Canada L. Wu et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2020.105192
- A novel causal structure-based framework for comparing a basin-wide water–energy–food–ecology nexus applied to the data-limited Amu Darya and Syr Darya river basins H. Shi et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-25-901-2021
- Beyond Profitable Shifts to Green Energies, towards Energy Sustainability F. Khatami & E. Goharian https://doi.org/10.3390/su14084506
- Towards equitable, integrated, and adaptive water-energy-food nexus research in Africa: A systematic literature review B. Richelle et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eiar.2025.108043
- Water-Energy-Food Nexus Tools in Theory and Practice: A Systematic Review C. Taguta et al. https://doi.org/10.3389/frwa.2022.837316
56 citations as recorded by crossref.
- Exploring the food–energy–water nexus approach to enhance coastal community resilience research and planning K. Raub et al. https://doi.org/10.1017/sus.2021.20
- ADAM: A web platform for graph-based modeling and optimization of supply chains Y. Hu et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compchemeng.2022.107911
- Macroeconomic co-benefits of DRR investment: assessment using the Dynamic Model of Multi-hazard Mitigation CoBenefits (DYNAMMICs) model M. Yokomatsu et al. https://doi.org/10.1108/DPM-07-2022-0154
- Towards a Low-Carbon Economy: A Nexus-Oriented Policy Coherence Analysis in Greece C. Papadopoulou et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12010373
- Experience of state support for investment-innovative development of the food industry in Ukraine and worldwide O. Bokiy https://doi.org/10.31073/foodresources2019-13-21
- Future of Freshwater Ecosystems in a 1.5°C Warmer World S. Capon et al. https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2021.784642
- Role of water-energy-food nexus in environmental management and climate action . Lalawmpuii & P. Rai https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nexus.2023.100230
- A Bibliometric Analysis of Food–Energy–Water Nexus: Progress and Prospects J. Zhu et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/land9120504
- Efficient pathways to zero-carbon energy use by water supply utilities: an example from London, UK A. Majid et al. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ac2931
- Impact of climate risk on clean water investments: Does crude oil act as a hedge? M. Bhuiyan et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joitmc.2025.100708
- Spatial planning based on the modeling the food-energy-water‑carbon nexus: A case study of the Yangtze River basin B. Guo et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agsy.2025.104552
- Evaluating water resources sustainability of water-scarcity basin from a scope of WEF-Nexus decomposition: the case of Yellow River Basin S. Yilin et al. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-024-04586-6
- Irrigation development as a booster of the multifunctional roles of paddy rice M. Garcia‐Vila et al. https://doi.org/10.1002/ird.2882
- Optimizing water-energy-food nexus: achieving economic prosperity and environmental sustainability in agriculture A. Ansari et al. https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2023.1207197
- The Impact of Assuming Perfect Foresight When Planning Infrastructure in the Water–Energy–Food Nexus R. Payet-Burin et al. https://doi.org/10.3389/frwa.2021.778003
- Transboundary cooperation a potential route to sustainable development in the Indus basin A. Vinca et al. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-020-00654-7
- Uncovering leveraging and hindering factors in socio-ecological interactions: Agricultural production in the Yellow River Basin as an example Q. Ji et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.122197
- A review of Unveiling the Interconnections of Food- Energy- Water in Urban Environments M. Qu et al. https://doi.org/10.1051/e3sconf/202456503015
- Unintended consequences of climate change mitigation for African river basins M. Giuliani et al. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-021-01262-9
- The Water-Energy-Food Nexus Index: A Tool to Support Integrated Resource Planning, Management and Security G. Simpson et al. https://doi.org/10.3389/frwa.2022.825854
- Systems thinking on the resource nexus: Modeling and visualisation tools to identify critical interlinkages for resilient and sustainable societies and institutions C. Laspidou et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.137264
- Nexus between water, energy, food and climate change as challenges facing the modern global, European and Polish economy P. F. Borowski https://doi.org/10.3934/geosci.2020022
- The NExus Solutions Tool (NEST) v1.0: an open platform for optimizing multi-scale energy–water–land system transformations A. Vinca et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-13-1095-2020
- A clustering approach to improve spatial representation in water-energy-food models A. Shivakumar et al. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ac2ce9
- The historical footprint and future challenges of water-energy-food nexus research: a bibliometric review towards sustainable development X. Han et al. https://doi.org/10.1139/er-2020-0085
- Sustainability Considerations in Water–Energy–Food Nexus Research in Irrigated Agriculture A. Hamidov & K. Helming https://doi.org/10.3390/su12156274
- Integrated Water-Power System Resilience Analysis in a Southeastern Idaho Irrigation District: Minidoka Case Study A. Toba et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/su131910906
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- An Analysis of the Acceptance of Water Management Systems among Smallholder Farmers in Numbi, Mpumalanga Province, South Africa M. Morepje et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16051952
- The importance of infrastructure and national demand to represent constraints on water supply in the United States J. Rising et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2022.102468
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- A Cost-Benefit Analysis of Bakhtiari Hydropower Dam Considering the Nexus between Energy and Water S. Tajziehchi et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/en15030871
- Water- food- energy- ecosystem nexus model development: Resource scarcity and regional development M. Ledari et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nexus.2023.100207
- Assessing sustainable development pathways for water, food, and energy security in a transboundary river basin A. Palazzo et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envdev.2024.101030
- Climate, Land, Energy and Water systems interactions – From key concepts to model implementation with OSeMOSYS E. Ramos et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2022.07.007
- Water value and market response functions in hydropower-dominated electricity systems: A systematic review and methodological comparison M. Pavičević et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2026.116952
- A hydrological model to assess current and future freshwater availability: application to climate change impacts on hydrology in the Amazon River Basin through mid-century S. Santos da Silva et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2025.134473
- Potential Energy, Economic, and Environmental Impacts of Hydro Power Pressure Reduction on the Water-Energy-Food Nexus A. Carravetta et al. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)WR.1943-5452.0001541
- Land, energy and water resource management and its impact on GHG emissions, electricity supply and food production- Insights from a Ugandan case study V. Sridharan et al. https://doi.org/10.1088/2515-7620/abaf38
- Application, adoption and opportunities for improving decision support systems in irrigated agriculture: A review I. Ara et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agwat.2021.107161
- Panta Rhei: a decade of progress in research on change in hydrology and society H. Kreibich et al. https://doi.org/10.1080/02626667.2025.2469762
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- Water for Tomorrow: A Living Lab on the Creation of the Science-Policy-Stakeholder Interface A. Alamanos et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/w14182879
- A Systematic Review of Socio-Technical Systems in the Water–Energy–Food Nexus: Building a Framework for Infrastructure Justice E. Shrimpton & N. Balta-Ozkan https://doi.org/10.3390/su16145962
- Trade-offs and synergies in the water-energy-food nexus: The case of Saskatchewan, Canada L. Wu et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2020.105192
- A novel causal structure-based framework for comparing a basin-wide water–energy–food–ecology nexus applied to the data-limited Amu Darya and Syr Darya river basins H. Shi et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-25-901-2021
- Beyond Profitable Shifts to Green Energies, towards Energy Sustainability F. Khatami & E. Goharian https://doi.org/10.3390/su14084506
- Towards equitable, integrated, and adaptive water-energy-food nexus research in Africa: A systematic literature review B. Richelle et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eiar.2025.108043
- Water-Energy-Food Nexus Tools in Theory and Practice: A Systematic Review C. Taguta et al. https://doi.org/10.3389/frwa.2022.837316
Saved (final revised paper)
Latest update: 02 Aug 2026
Short summary
We present an open-source tool for water infrastructure investment planning considering interrelations between the water, food, and energy systems. We apply it to the Zambezi River basin to evaluate economic impacts of hydropower and irrigation development plans. We find trade-offs between the development plans and sensitivity to uncertainties (e.g. climate change, carbon taxes, capital costs of solar technologies, environmental policies) demonstrating the necessity for an integrated approach.
We present an open-source tool for water infrastructure investment planning considering...
