Reduction of cooling water consumption due to photovoltaic and wind electricity feed-in

Johst, M.; Rothstein, Benno

doi:10.1016/j.rser.2014.04.029

Cited by 15 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 7 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Total energy consumption in the United States is flattening, while the domestic energy supply is expected to continue to grow . On the supply side, both the US fuel mix and the technologies used to supply energy to consumers are changing, most significantly via more deployment of renewable electricity technologies; − more unconventional oil and natural gas extraction; − tighter environmental controls in the power sector, particularly affecting coal ,, 1,24,25 ; and diversification of fuel sources in the transportation sector. − Consequently, one of the major policy concerns of the energy–water nexus is the effect of this dynamic energy system on volumetric water resource demands.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Water Use in the United States Energy System: A National Assessment and Unit Process Inventory of Water Consumption and Withdrawals

Grubert

Sanders

2018

Environ. Sci. Technol.

105

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The United States (US) energy system is a large water user, but the nature of that use is poorly understood. To support resource comanagement and fill this noted gap in the literature, this work presents detailed estimates for US-based water consumption and withdrawals for the US energy system as of 2014, including both intensity values and the first known estimate of total water consumption and withdrawal by the US energy system. We address 126 unit processes, many of which are new additions to the literature, differentiated among 17 fuel cycles, five life cycle stages, three water source categories, and four levels of water quality. Overall coverage is about 99% of commercially traded US primary energy consumption with detailed energy flows by unit process. Energy-related water consumption, or water removed from its source and not directly returned, accounts for about 10% of both total and freshwater US water consumption. Major consumers include biofuels (via irrigation), oil (via deep well injection, usually of nonfreshwater), and hydropower (via evaporation and seepage). The US energy system also accounts for about 40% of both total and freshwater US water withdrawals, i.e., water removed from its source regardless of fate. About 70% of withdrawals are associated with the once-through cooling systems of approximately 300 steam cycle power plants that produce about 25% of US electricity.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Water Use in the United States Energy System: A National Assessment and Unit Process Inventory of Water Consumption and Withdrawals

Grubert

Sanders

2018

Environ. Sci. Technol.

105

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Water scarcity is a growing challenge for the power industry globally. [1][2][3][4] Although the large-scale dissemination of water-lean renewable electricity technologies (particularly wind turbines and solar photovoltaics) demonstrates the potential to decrease the power sector"s reliance on scare water resources [5,6] , water-intensive thermoelectric power generation sources will still play a dominant role in the global electricity mix for decades. Water stress has already become a constraint on power reliability and capacity expansion, especially in countries that rely heavily on thermal power, such as the U.S. and China.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Virtual scarce water embodied in inter-provincial electricity transmission in China

Zhong²,

et al. 2017

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Intra-national electricity transmission drives virtual water transfer from electricity production regions to electricity consumption regions. In China, the water-intensive thermoelectric power industry is expanding quickly in many water-scarce energy production hubs in northern and northwestern provinces. This study constructed a node-flow model of inter-province electricity transmission to investigate the virtual water and scarcity-adjusted virtual water (or virtual scarce water) embodied in the electricity transmission network. It is revealed that total inter-provincial virtual water transfer embodied in electricity transmission was 623 million m 3 in 2011, equivalent to 12.7% of the national total thermoelectric water consumption. The top three largest single virtual water flows are West Inner Mongolia-to-Beijing (44 million m 3), East Inner Mongolia-to-Liaoning (39 million m 3), and Guizhou-to-Guangdong (37 million m 3). If the actual volumes of consumptive water use are translated into scarcity-adjusted water consumption based on Water Stress Index, West Inner Mongolia (81 million m 3), Shanxi (63 million m 3) and Ningxia (30 million m 3) become the top three exporters of virtual scarce water. Many ongoing long-distance electricity transmission projects in China will enlarge the scale of scarce water outflows from northwestern regions and potentially increase their water stress.

show abstract

“…With the exception of hydropower, which requires water to move hydroelectric turbines, the majority of the water withdrawn for power generation is used to condense steam exiting turbines at thermoelectric power facilities. , Thermoelectric power generation represented nearly 40% of annual U.S. freshwater withdrawals in 2010. , Of the volume of water withdrawn for power generation, approximately 3% was consumed . Although water might also be also used for turbine inlet cooling, handling ash, washing, wastewater reclamation, and flue gas desulferization, power plant cooling is typically the largest water requirement for thermoelectric generators. , While projections of the water use of the electricity sector in the future exist, − large regulatory, social, and technological uncertainty make it difficult to anticipate future changes, especially over the long-term. ,, However, these changes will be important for water managers, electric power utilities, and policy makers to understand moving forward.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Critical Review: Uncharted Waters? The Future of the Electricity-Water Nexus

Sanders

2014

Environ. Sci. Technol.

119

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Electricity generation often requires large amounts of water, most notably for cooling thermoelectric power generators and moving hydroelectric turbines. This so-called "electricity-water nexus" has received increasing attention in recent years by governments, nongovernmental organizations, industry, and academics, especially in light of increasing water stress in many regions around the world. Although many analyses have attempted to project the future water requirements of electricity generation, projections vary considerably due to differences in temporal and spatial boundaries, modeling frameworks, and scenario definitions. This manuscript is intended to provide a critical review of recent publications that address the future water requirements of electricity production and define the factors that will moderate the water requirements of the electric grid moving forward to inform future research. The five variables identified include changes in (1) fuel consumption patterns, (2) cooling technology preferences, (3) environmental regulations, (4) ambient climate conditions, and (5) electric grid characteristics. These five factors are analyzed to provide guidance for future research related to the electricity-water nexus.

show abstract

Reduction of cooling water consumption due to photovoltaic and wind electricity feed-in

Cited by 15 publications

References 7 publications

Water Use in the United States Energy System: A National Assessment and Unit Process Inventory of Water Consumption and Withdrawals

Water Use in the United States Energy System: A National Assessment and Unit Process Inventory of Water Consumption and Withdrawals

Virtual scarce water embodied in inter-provincial electricity transmission in China

Critical Review: Uncharted Waters? The Future of the Electricity-Water Nexus

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About