Water and energy are inseparable. Nearly every kilowatt of power requires water to produce and every gallon of water requires energy to treat, move, and heat. As our appetite for both grows, so does the urgency to manage them holistically, with both resources and people in mind. Power plants withdraw trillions of gallons of water each year for cooling. In the West, hydropower depends on snowpack and streamflow, which is being increasingly altered by drought and wildfire, and with continued impacts on critical fisheries. And across the country, the transition to electric vehicles, battery storage, and data centers adds new demand for both power and water. In some communities, new energy infrastructure promises jobs but also strains local aquifers, water treatment capacity, or the very communities that have borne the brunt of progress in the past. These challenges are real, but they are also opportunities to do something different, and positive.
The Water Foundation views the water-energy nexus as a frontier for innovation and collaboration. We are working toward a clean energy transition that is a just and water-smart transition — one that benefits frontline communities, protects source waters, and reduces overall demand. Programs like “Making Conservation a California Way of Life” are great examples of lowering demand for water and in turn lowering power demand. Investments in renewable energy can also reduce the energy footprint of water itself: solar arrays powering wastewater treatment plants, microgrids supporting rural utilities, and efficiency programs that lower costs for households.
The interplay of these systems creates opportunities for philanthropy to lead. Strategic grants can accelerate integrated planning across sectors, support policy reforms that align water and energy goals, and empower communities to participate in siting and permitting decisions. When funders help connect utilities, regulators, and advocates, solutions scale faster — from drought-resilient hydropower operations to closed-loop cooling technologies and on-site water recycling in industrial facilities.
The Water Foundation understands the importance of balancing supply, sustainability, and equity. We see enormous potential to drive efficiency, reduce carbon emissions, and extend water reliability simultaneously. Philanthropic investment in this nexus is an investment in the infrastructure of resilience itself — ensuring the systems powering our lives do so without draining the lifeblood of our watersheds.