In Brief

The Challenge

Managing water through its cycle is of utmost importance. The TRACE project will increase the resilience for the water-energy-climate nexus in rural communities in Ireland. The primary goal is to consider a range of sustainability measures throughout the water cycle, which is both complex and dynamic, with each stage having its own unique governing factors that affect its quality, availability, and value. This will provide resource security to vulnerable rural communities across the country who rely on group water services, in a time of greater water scarcity, rising energy costs and a climate crisis. 

The Solution

TRACE will leverage technological solutions and deliver application systems to optimise the management of water services to help rural areas become positive climate and energy districts. 

The project will collect robust and integrated data on land use, water services, and community level energy systems. 

The TRACE project will bring new connectivity to data management across the water-energy-climate nexus, integrating energy generation and pumped storage systems and using AI systems to manage these resource services. This can allow these rural communities to lead the transition to positive climate and energy districts. 

The Team

  • Team Lead: Dr John Gallagher, Trinity College Dublin 
  • Team Co-Lead: Dr Harun Šiljak, Trinity College Dublin 

Societal Impact Champion

  • Mark Farrelly, National Federation of Group Water Schemes