Mr steven kenway

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2010 Fulbright Queensland Scholarship

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“Global commitments to reducing greenhouse gas emissions will continue to strengthen, so it is timely to evaluate the role that urban water management can play in reducing or exacerbating energy use.”

Steven Kenway, who is both a PhD candidate at the Advanced Water Management Centre, University of Queensland and a Program Manager with the Urban Water Security Research Alliance, in Brisbane, has won the 2010 Fulbright Queensland Scholarship.

Through his Fulbright, Steven will research linkages between water use, energy and greenhouse gas at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratories and the University of California Berkeley for eight months.

“I want to access models and data to determine how water management in cities influences energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. Specifically I want to quantify energy impacts of water use and supply,” Steven said.

“I estimate that over five per cent of total energy and fifteen per cent of electricity use, and possibly more is influenced by water. I want to prove that water management influences energy use substantially and that this can be forecast. To do this I need to assemble critical datasets, correlate key variables and sensitivity test the relationships.”

Steven says that Australia is researching and managing the water-energy nexus in many different ways to the U.S. In part this is because Australia has historically been more limited by water than energy. Climate change impacts including the unprecedented drought and new commitments to mitigating climate change have dramatically exacerbated the implications of the nexus in Australia. In contrast the U.S. approach has been historically driven more by energy constraints.

“Many of the world’s best data sets and numerical and input-output models for water-energy linkages have been developed in the U.S. The different approaches that the U.S. and Australia are taking, offer insight into their joint management in a carbon and water constrained future.”

The water-energy-carbon nexus has been identified as a high priority emerging research issue by the University of Queensland in June 2009. This project will contribute by providing a new method for quantifying the energy implications of a range of water management options.

Steven has a Bachelor in Agricultural Science with first class honours from the University of Queensland. Apart from his academic work he spends time with his family, friends, dog, and he takes part in many outdoor activities. He also enjoys public speaking, woodwork and lead-lighting.