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The provision of water services is critical to ensure the vitality of Alaskan communities. Water systems in Alaska operate differently than those in the contiguous US given the Arctic climate, remote geography, and unique workforce limitations. For example, some communities rely on water delivered using trucks, and many households use traditional sources (e.g., rainwater, ice melt). This unique context reconfigures how water systems relate to other critical infrastructure services (CISs), such as transportation and electricity. For instance, the high energy costs needed to heat water systems in Alaska can exacerbate water insecurity. In another example, some communities with delivered water services can be limited by transportation challenges such as limited connectivity, roadway damage, and reduced visibility during winter weather. While we recognize that water-related challenges in Alaska are often linked to other CISs, it remains unclear how these interdependencies shape services—for instance, which connections are sources of vulnerability? Through a systematic literature review, we seek to understand the underlying network of interdependencies between water systems and other CISs in Alaska. We employ a qualitative content analysis of scholarly literature to identify relevant CISs and how they influence the provision of water services. By enhancing our knowledge about infrastructure interdependencies in Alaska, we can improve management by taking into account other relevant systems. Further, our work identifies key research gaps and opportunities, guiding future efforts to address the complex infrastructure challenges in Alaska.
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Energy Distribution Modeling for Assessment and Optimal Distribution of Sustainable Energy for On-Grid Food, Energy, and Water Systems in Remote Microgrids
Food, energy, and water (FEW) are essential for human health and economic development. FEW systems are inextricably interlinked, yet individualized and variable. Consequently, an accurate assessment must include all available and proposed FEW components and their interconnections and consider scale, location, and scope. Remote Alaska locations are examples of isolated communities with limited infrastructure, accessibility, and extreme climate conditions. The resulting challenges for FEW reliability and sustainability create opportunities to obtain practical insights that may apply to other remote communities facing similar challenges. By creating energy distribution models (EDMs), a methodology is proposed, and a tool is developed to measure the impacts of renewable energy (RE) on small FEW systems connected to the microgrids of several Alaska communities. Observing the community FEW systems through an energy lens, three indices are used to measure FEW security: Energy–Water (EW), Energy–Food (EF), and Sustainable Energy (SE). The results indicate the impacts of RE on FEW infrastructure systems are highly seasonal, primarily because of the natural intermittence and seasonality of renewable resources. Overall, there is a large potential for RE integration to increase FEW security as well as a need for additional analysis and methods to further improve the resiliency of FEW systems in remote communities.
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- Award ID(s):
- 1740075
- PAR ID:
- 10294825
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Sustainability
- Volume:
- 13
- Issue:
- 17
- ISSN:
- 2071-1050
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 9511
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
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Accepted Manuscript1.0
- Journal Article:
- https://doi.org/10.3390/su13179511
