A regional assessment of the water embedded in the US electricity system
Water consumption from electricity systems can be large, and it varies greatly by region. As electricity systems change, understanding the implications for water demand is important, given differential water availability. This letter presents regional water consumption and consumptive intensities fo...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
IOP Publishing
2019-01-01
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| Series: | Environmental Research Letters |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ab2daa |
| _version_ | 1827870616057806848 |
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| author | Rebecca A M Peer Emily Grubert Kelly T Sanders |
| author_facet | Rebecca A M Peer Emily Grubert Kelly T Sanders |
| author_sort | Rebecca A M Peer |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Water consumption from electricity systems can be large, and it varies greatly by region. As electricity systems change, understanding the implications for water demand is important, given differential water availability. This letter presents regional water consumption and consumptive intensities for the United States electric grid by region using a 2014 base year, based on the 26 regions in the Environmental Protection Agency’s Emissions & Generation Resource Integrated Database. Estimates encompass operational (i.e. not embodied in fixed assets) water consumption from fuel extraction through conversion, calculated as the sum of induced water consumption for processes upstream of the point of generation (PoG) and water consumed at the PoG. Absolute water consumption and consumptive intensity is driven by thermal power plant cooling requirements. Regional consumption intensities vary by roughly a factor of 20. This variability is largely attributed to water consumption upstream of the PoG, particularly evaporation from reservoirs associated with hydroelectricity. Solar and wind generation, which are expected to continue to grow rapidly, consume very little water and could drive lower water consumption over time. As the electricity grid continues to change in response to policy, economic, and climatic drivers, understanding potential impacts on local water resources can inform changes. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T15:58:47Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-8dddb125c4294197ac304b2f8548187a |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1748-9326 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T15:58:47Z |
| publishDate | 2019-01-01 |
| publisher | IOP Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Environmental Research Letters |
| spelling | doaj.art-8dddb125c4294197ac304b2f8548187a2023-08-09T14:44:10ZengIOP PublishingEnvironmental Research Letters1748-93262019-01-0114808401410.1088/1748-9326/ab2daaA regional assessment of the water embedded in the US electricity systemRebecca A M Peer0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9951-2625Emily Grubert1https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2196-7571Kelly T Sanders2https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4466-0054Sonny Astani Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Southern California , Los Angeles, CA 90089, United States of AmericaSchool of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology , Atlanta, GA 30332, United States of AmericaSonny Astani Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Southern California , Los Angeles, CA 90089, United States of AmericaWater consumption from electricity systems can be large, and it varies greatly by region. As electricity systems change, understanding the implications for water demand is important, given differential water availability. This letter presents regional water consumption and consumptive intensities for the United States electric grid by region using a 2014 base year, based on the 26 regions in the Environmental Protection Agency’s Emissions & Generation Resource Integrated Database. Estimates encompass operational (i.e. not embodied in fixed assets) water consumption from fuel extraction through conversion, calculated as the sum of induced water consumption for processes upstream of the point of generation (PoG) and water consumed at the PoG. Absolute water consumption and consumptive intensity is driven by thermal power plant cooling requirements. Regional consumption intensities vary by roughly a factor of 20. This variability is largely attributed to water consumption upstream of the PoG, particularly evaporation from reservoirs associated with hydroelectricity. Solar and wind generation, which are expected to continue to grow rapidly, consume very little water and could drive lower water consumption over time. As the electricity grid continues to change in response to policy, economic, and climatic drivers, understanding potential impacts on local water resources can inform changes.https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ab2daaenergy-water nexuswater consumptionregionalization |
| spellingShingle | Rebecca A M Peer Emily Grubert Kelly T Sanders A regional assessment of the water embedded in the US electricity system Environmental Research Letters energy-water nexus water consumption regionalization |
| title | A regional assessment of the water embedded in the US electricity system |
| title_full | A regional assessment of the water embedded in the US electricity system |
| title_fullStr | A regional assessment of the water embedded in the US electricity system |
| title_full_unstemmed | A regional assessment of the water embedded in the US electricity system |
| title_short | A regional assessment of the water embedded in the US electricity system |
| title_sort | regional assessment of the water embedded in the us electricity system |
| topic | energy-water nexus water consumption regionalization |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ab2daa |
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