Operational Water Withdrawal and Consumption Factors for Electricity Generation Technology in China—A Literature Review

Abstract

As two indispensable resources for human development, energy and water are closely related. China, as the world's largest consumer of electricity, is also experiencing very serious water shortages. Understanding the water consumption intensity in various types of electric power production technologies according to China's national conditions is a prerequisite for understanding the potential impact of electrical power production on water resources. Therefore, following the steps of a meta-analysis, this paper provides a literature review on operational water withdrawal and consumption factors for electricity generation technology in China. We observed that 50% of water consumption for electricity generation was for coal power, whereas there was no research on the water consumption intensity of natural gas power generation, and a shortage of studies on water intake during electrical power production. The average water consumption intensity of hydropower is the largest. The results indicate that compared with other fuel types, hydropower is not a sustainable energy with respect to water conservation, and the study of hydropower applications should be improved in China.

Cooling Water: A Source of Conflict in Spain, 1970–1980

“…Water is a critical energy resource. A vast amount of literature exists on the water-energy nexus, covering different dimensions and geographical areas [34][35][36][37]. Electricity generation requires large amounts of water to move turbines and cool thermoelectric power generators.…”

Water Footprints and Virtual Water Flows Embodied in the Power Supply Chain

“…However, the uncertainties in the results have not been explored or discussed. An inventory of water footprints was presented for power generation technologies in China in [24]. The study is focused on the operation stage, where the footprints of fuel supplies and infrastructures are not considered.…”

Water-reduction potential of air-cooled condensers in coal power plants in India and anticipated trade-offs

“…The current water consumption in Indian coal TPPs is around 1100 million m 3 higher than the water consumed in Chinese coal power plants, whose overall installed capacity is 2.5 times higher than India's (Greenpeace International 2015; Xinxin et al 2017). The reduced water consumption in Chinese TPPs is mainly attributed to their optimal use of water for coal-dust suppressing, ash handling, and cooling (Carpenter 2015;Gao et al 2018). The specific water consumption of Indian coal TPPs (5-7 m 3 /MWh) is much higher than the global averages as well (1.3-2.5 m 3 /MWh).…”

“…Studies on implications of ACC in TPPs are sparse in the Indian context. A few studies conducted in other countries analyzed the water usage, cost, and performance of plants with various cooling systems (EPRI and California Energy Commission 2002;Zhai and Rubin 2016). However, a techno-economic feasibility analysis on implementation of ACC in coal power plants in India has not been conducted yet.…”