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Water Use for Energy

Clean Energy Policies Save Water

Western Resource Advocates report "A Powerful Thirst analyzed the water saved by clean energy policies in the Interior West from 2006 – 2010.Clean energy policies over the five year period now save an estimated 6.3 billion gallons per year, or enough to meet the annual needs of approximately 78,000 households. And, even better, clean energy decisions or investments in 2011 and 2012 will almost certainly increase that number. In fact, water use by the electricity sector in the Interior West is now on the decline.

The Water Energy/Nexus

Ever wondered about the connection between energy and water? Or thought about how drought might impact electricity? Stacy Tellinghuisen, Senior Energy/Water Policy Analyst at Western Resource Advocates, explains how these two seemingly different issues are more connected than you might think. Using the 2011 drought in Texas as an example, Tellinghusien explains how the connection between energy and water becomes even more apparent during times of drought. Recent droughts have had unexpected - and unprecedented - impacts on the energy sector, impacting both electricity demands and power plants' ability to meet them.

The Water/Energy Nexus from Western Resource Advocates on Vimeo.

Thermoelectric power plants consume substantial amounts of water each year, impacting the West's valuable rivers, lakes, and groundwater aquifers. New, proposed coal plants threaten to consume even more water. Fortunately, energy efficiency and many forms of renewable energy use negligible amounts of freshwater. Adopting these resources can help meet the West's future energy and water demands.

The water intensity of electricity generation varies considerably, depending on the fuel source and the technology used. Many renewable sources of energy like wind, solar PV, geothermal, and certain types of concentrating solar power consume negligible amounts of water.

Fossil fueled power plants use a tremendous volume of water in the Intermountain West. In the Colorado River basin alone, power plants consume over 167,000 AF of water each year. Scores of other plants rely on groundwater or surface supplies in other watersheds.

Colorado River: Water Use for Power Generation

Energy-Water Intensity Map

Map #	State	Plant	Primary Fuel	Cooling Water Source	Avg. Annual Consumption (AF/yr)
1	AZ	Desert Basin	gas	Central Arizona Project Canal Water	1,614
2	AZ	Navajo	coal	Lake Powell	26,274
3	AZ	South Point Energy	gas	Colorado River	1,954
4	CO	Craig	coal	Yampa River	14,331
5	CO	Hayden	coal	Yampa River	2,823
6	CO	Nucla	coal	San Miguel River	1,592
7	NM	Four Corners	coal	San Juan River	24,826
8	NM	San Juan	coal	San Juan River	19,977
9	UT	Bonanza	coal	Green River	7,672
10	UT	Carbon	coal	Price River	3,112
11	UT	Hunter	coal	Cottonwood Creek	18,746
12	UT	Huntington	coal	Huntington Creek	12,377
13	WY	Jim Bridger	coal	Green River	25,333
14	WY	Naughton	coal	Hams Fork River	6,080
		Total			166,712

Finding Alternatives that Protect the West's Water Resources

As water in the West becomes scarcer, its value will undoubtedly rise. Today, most electric utilities do not adequately value water when they create their future resource plans. And although most regulators in western states have the authority to value water in evaluating utilities' resource plans, most do not. WRA has new research on the prices cities, farmers, electric utilities, and environmental interests are willing to pay for water in the West. Evaluating the value of water - both today and in the future - is an important step toward better integration of water issues in electric resource planning. In an upcoming report, WRA highlights the opportunities for utilities and regulators throughout the region to better integrate water into resource planning processes.

WRA has taken a close look at two regions: the state of Nevada and the Arkansas River Basin in Southeastern Colorado. In both regions, water is fully- or over-allocated, but population, water, and energy demands continue to grow. Our analyses illustrate the growing challenge of meeting the regions' energy and water demands. In both regions, municipal water conservation, energy efficiency, and renewable sources of energy will all be essential measures. In addition, irrigated corn-based ethanol presents an additional, emerging threat to the region's water resources, particularly in the Arkansas River Basin.

WRA Analysis of water-energy issues by region:

A Sustainable Path: Meeting Future Water and Energy Demands in the Arkansas River Basin
Executive Summary (459 KB .pdf file)
Presentation on energy and water in the Arkansas River Basin (8.3MB .pdf file)
A Sustainable Path: Meeting Nevada's Water and Energy Demands
Full Report (1.67 MB .pdf file)

WRA first highlighted the water intensity of electricity in its 2003 report, The Last Straw. The report describes practical opportunities to reduce both water use and water quality impacts from power generation. It examines the close relationship between power generation and water, including water use effects on competing uses, water quality and power system reliability. In addition, the report outlines an action agenda that covers fossil-fuel generation, renewable energy, and energy efficiency. If implemented, these actions will minimize the impacts from water used for power generation, while ensuring power system reliability, conserving scarce water resources, and protecting rivers, streams and groundwater from unnecessary discharges.

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