National Alliance for Water Innovation

Stored: National Alliance for Water Innovation

National Alliance for Water Innovation
Type:	Research and Development Agencies
Parent organization:	Partnership
Top organization:	Department of Energy
Employees:
Executive:	Executive Director
Budget:	$75 million (Fiscal Years 2024-2029)
Address:	1 Cyclotron Rd, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
Website:	https://www.nawihub.org/
Creation Legislation:
Wikipedia:	National Alliance for Water Innovation

National Alliance for Water Innovation

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Mission
The National Alliance for Water Innovation accelerates research and development of affordable, energy-efficient desalination and water treatment technologies to secure a resilient U.S. water supply from nontraditional sources. It aims to enable a circular water economy by fostering innovations that treat 90% of nontraditional waters cost-competitively within a decade.

Services
Water treatment R&D; technology roadmapping; data management tools

Regulations

National Alliance for Water Innovation (NAWI) is a DOE-led research consortium headquartered at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, focused on advancing desalination and water treatment technologies to utilize nontraditional water sources like seawater, brackish water, and industrial wastewater, addressing U.S. water security challenges. Launched in 2019 as an Energy Innovation Hub, NAWI unites national labs, universities, and industry to innovate small-scale, autonomous treatment systems, supporting a circular water economy through its extensive network of over 424 alliance organizations.

Official Site

Mission

NAWI’s mission is to lower the cost and energy use of desalination technologies by funding high-impact R&D, creating tools like the WaterTAP platform, and developing roadmaps to guide innovation in treating nontraditional waters for agriculture, industry, power, and municipal uses. It seeks to achieve “pipe parity”—making 90% of these sources as affordable as traditional water—by 2030, enhancing water resilience amid climate change and population growth through a collaborative, data-driven approach.

Parent organization

NAWI is managed under the Department of Energy, specifically through the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy’s Industrial Efficiency and Decarbonization and Water Power Technologies offices, which fund and steer its efforts. The Department of Energy serves as the top organization, integrating NAWI into the broader Water Security Grand Challenge.

Legislation

NAWI was not established by specific legislation but was selected in September 2019 as an Energy-Water Desalination Hub under DOE’s authority, with initial funding tied to Congressional appropriations starting in FY 2017.

Partners

NAWI’s core partners include:

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (lead)
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
National Energy Technology Laboratory
Over 108 research consortium members and 424 alliance organizations

Number of employees

NAWI does not have a dedicated employee count; it leverages staff from its four lead labs and partner organizations, with thousands potentially contributing across projects.

Organization structure

NAWI is structured around collaborative efforts:

Research Consortium manages funded projects.
Alliance Network fosters industry and academic collaboration.
Data and Analysis Team develops tools like Water DAMS.

Leader

NAWI is led by an Executive Director, Peter Fiske, who oversees its strategic direction and research initiatives.

Divisions

The efforts include:

Technology R&D for desalination innovations.
Data Management via Water DAMS and WaterTAP.
Roadmapping to prioritize research investments.

List of programs

Key NAWI programs include:

WaterTAP Technoeconomic Assessment Platform
Water Data Analysis and Management System (Water DAMS)
NAWI Technology Roadmaps - https://www.nawihub.org/roadmaps

Last total enacted budget

NAWI received $75 million for its second phase (FY 2024-2029), following an initial $110 million from 2019-2024, funded by DOE with additional cost-share from partners.

Staff

Staffing is drawn from Berkeley Lab, NREL, ORNL, NETL, and over 100 research partners, including scientists, engineers, and analysts, with no standalone headcount for NAWI.

Funding

NAWI’s funding includes $40 million from Congress (FY 2017-2019), $70 million in DOE funds plus $34 million in cost-share for Phase 1 (2019-2024), and $75 million for Phase 2 (2024-2029), totaling over $149 million with partner contributions.

Services provided

NAWI funds R&D for energy-efficient desalination, develops analytical tools like WaterTAP, and publishes technology roadmaps and baselines, enabling a shift to decentralized, fit-for-purpose water treatment systems.

Regulations overseen

NAWI does not oversee regulations but supports DOE’s water security and energy efficiency policies through technical advancements.

Headquarters address

1 Cyclotron Rd, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA (Berkeley Lab)

History

NAWI was founded in 2019 as a DOE Energy Innovation Hub, announced by Secretary Rick Perry, with $110 million to tackle water security via desalination R&D. It published foundational roadmaps in 2021 and, in April 2024, secured $75 million for NAWI 2.0, expanding its focus on piloting integrated water systems.

External links

References