Courtesy of The River Network, an article on the watergy nexus’ impact during the current drought plaguing much of the U.S.:
This month across much of America our electric grid was cranked up to record levels to meet the air conditioning needs of another extreme heat event. At the same time, the scientific journal Nature reported that many thermoelectric plants will have less capacity to generate power over the next few decades because of lower river flows and increasing water temperatures. What many people don’t know is that these plants often waste millions of gallons of precious water to generate power at a great cost to our rivers and lakes.
Our current electrical grid (dominated by coal, nuclear and natural gas) uses approximately 40,000 gallons of water to produce a typical household’s monthly electricity needs. Using this amount of water is like filling your bathtub to the brim more than 500 times a month!
Although the water used for electricity is largely “out of sight and out of mind” for most Americans, the coal, nuclear and natural gas power plants that provide most of our electricity simply can’t function without it. More water is used to cool these plants than is used for irrigation, lawn watering or any other use. And, alarmingly, their share of water use is increasing.
In short, our water supplies and energy production are on a collision course with each other. Across the country we are seeing elevated water temperatures, algae blooms and – all too frequently- dead fish and closed beaches.
If we react out of fear of running out of water or energy by building more dams, coal, nuclear and natural gas power plants, these problems will only get worse. We could end up increasing the rate at which we drain our aquifers and suck our rivers dry.
So how do we better prepare for more summers of searing heat and drought? A recent report from River Network, “Burning Our Rivers: The Water footprint of Electricity” sounds the alarm and calls for a united effort to reduce the water used in our electrical grid.
We don’t have to build more large reservoirs behind dams where water literally evaporates into the air. We don’t need more dangerous, poorly monitored natural gas hydraulic “fracking” that can drain underground aquifers. And we must phase out large coal and nuclear facilities that use outdated technology where billions of gallons of water are spewed up into the atmosphere through cooling towers.
There is a better way. By phasing out antiquated cooling technologies at older fossil fuel plants and by increasing “low-water” power sources such as PV solar and wind, we could have just as much power and reduce the amount of water used for power plants by 80%. We can choose a future that protects fresh water resources and enhances our quality of life and the many industries, businesses and individuals that rely on clean, plentiful water supplies.
Energy regulators and water managers must work together to reduce our water and energy use and to better protect consumers. For example, California and Arizona have taken formal steps to monitor and minimize water use at power plants, but in at least some states generating facilities are not even required to have water use permits. States should assure that all proposals for new power plants are reviewed for their water impacts and less water-intensive options are considered. State Public Utility Commissions should evaluate the societal cost of “burning water” in consumer protection and least-cost planning processes. And state Climate Action Plans need to consider both the benefits of water conservation and the threat of reduced water availability.
Stronger financial incentives for investment in “low-water” renewable energy sources are also needed. Socially-concerned investors should ask companies to report on both their carbon footprint and their water footprint – especially in regions of the country facing drought and extreme heat.
A future with ample water and power can be ours – but only if we start now, before unprecedented heat waves begin to dim our lights or cause our water taps to run dry.
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