Within the framework of the WEC, five strategic research themes have been identified:
Theme One: Novel, energy-efficient water/wastewater purification processes and systems
Theme Two: Improved water efficiency of energy resource development, and power production processes and systems
Theme Three: Innovations in material science for water and energy processes and systems
Theme Four: Water and energy informatics, sensors, monitoring, and computational modeling support
Theme Five: Water and energy resources, management, policy, and economics
Themes 1 and 2 focus on technology development while Themes 3, 4, and 5 provide important technical and non-technical underpinnings to water and energy technologies. Additional cross-cutting activities include: technology demonstration and transfer, and education and mentoring. The former involves test-beds for process up-scaling and long-term performance assessment, and life cycle analysis (LCA) for comparison of technologies and moving new technologies along the pathway to commercialization. The latter, interfaced with Clemson educational programs, focuses on development of human capital, through mentoring of PhD students and post-docs, to contribute to meaningful solutions of problems associated with the water-energy nexus.
