Yet Another Benefit of Renewable Energy: It Uses Practically No Water Compared to Fossil Fuels

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The Energy Information Administration (EIA) recently highlighted a little-discussedย benefit of using renewables like wind and solarย to produce electricity: Unlike most power sources, theyย requireย โ€œalmost noย water.โ€

This is remarkableย because thermoelectric power generation is the leading use of water in America. (That said, only three percent of power generation’sย 133 billion gallons a day of water is considered โ€œconsumptive use,โ€ as the U.S. Geological Survey says,ย โ€œmeaning it is lost to evaporation or blowdown duringย generation.โ€)

According to the latest U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) dataย from 2015,ย 41 percent of the waterย used in America isย for power generation. The next highest use is irrigation for agriculture,ย accounting for 37 percent of U.S. water use (and close to two-thirds of that isย consumptive).

The Union of Concerned Scientists was raising thisย alarmย in 2012 when the nonprofitย created an infographic focused on the โ€œenergy-water collision,โ€ whichย โ€œrefers to theย range of issuesย that can crop up where our water resources and our power sector interact.โ€ย That can include increased competition for dwindling water sources and problems when the water going into or out of power plants is tooย warm.


Credit:ย Union of Concerned Scientists,ย 2012

Why does producing electricity require so muchย water?ย 

As the Department of Energy (DOE) notes: โ€œThe main demand for water within a thermoelectric power plant is for condensing steam. Thermoelectric power generation typically converts the energy in a fuel source (fossil, nuclear, or biomass) to steam and then uses the steam to drive a turbine-generator.โ€ This varies somewhat for natural gas, depending on the type of turbine.

With many areas of the world,ย including large parts of America, alreadyย dealing with droughtsย and water shortages โ€” problems expected to be exacerbated by climate changeย โ€”ย the water intensity of power sources becomes another factor for local, state, and regional planners toย consider.


United States Drought Monitor November 13, 2018 update.ย Credit: United States Droughtย Monitor

Coalโ€™s Decline Brings Slightย Progress

The recent topline analysis from the EIA about water use for all energy sources in America is encouraging. Since 2014 the amount of water used to produce energy has been steadilyย declining.

USGSย data show this has been the trend sinceย 2005: โ€œThe 2015 estimates put total withdrawals at the lowest level since before 1970, following the same overall trend of decreasing total withdrawals observed from 2005 to 2010.โ€ย Over a five year period from 2010 to 2015, water use for power generation dropped 18ย percent.

Much of this drop can be attributed to the decline in coal as a fuel source for electricity generation, as well as power plant closures and new plants implementing more water-efficientย technologies.ย 


U.S. Electricity Generation 2014-2017. Credit: Energy Informationย Administration

However, while the decline of the coal industry has meant power plants overall are using less water in the U.S., some of the power sourcesย that are replacing coal, namelyย natural gas,ย are still highly dependent onย water.

While the natural gas industryโ€™s claim that methane-rich gas is a cleanerย โ€œbridge fuelโ€ to the future โ€” an argument thoroughly debunked when accounting for globe-warming methane leaks in the supply chain โ€” water use is another reason to consider wind and solar power over naturalย gas.

Due to the various technologies used in natural gas power plants, some are more highly dependent on water than others. This variation makes it difficultย to quantify just how much water natural gasย power generation uses as a sector compared to coal. However, it is safe to say that natural gas power production uses less water than coal in general. Thus, the switchย from coal to gas is contributing to the overal decline in water use for power generation, as the USGS and DOEย say.ย 

As solar and wind become increasingly cost competitive with natural gas for electric power generation โ€” especially in water-constrained areas of the countryย โ€” they have the addedย advantage of being a water smartย choice.

Steam rising from cooling towers in coal plant
Steam risesย from the cooling towers of Ironbridge Coal Power Station. Credit: John Horton,ย CC BYย 2.0

Arizona:ย A Drought-Stricken State Votes Downย Renewables

As previously reported on DeSmog, Arizona’sย Proposition 127 was a ballot measure that would have required electric power companies to generate half of the stateโ€™s energy from renewable sources by 2030. It was voted down by 70 percent of voters after theย industry-backed group Arizona for Affordable Energy spent more than $30 million opposing Propositionย 127.

But for Arizona, a rising concern may beย the idea ofย affordable water. Phoenix is proposing a hike in water rates for the city for the next two years, citing the โ€œdrought and looming shortages on the Colorado Riverโ€ asย reasons for theย increases.

According to NASA, earlier this year the U.S. Drought Monitor identified about 97 percent ofย Arizona as being in severe drought, and 16 percent of that area qualifying asย being in exceptionalย drought.

Arizona relies heavily on the Colorado River for its water โ€” like many of the drought-stricken U.S. states in the West. Arizona’s Water Future,ย a report by Western Resource Advocates, notes that in the decreasing levels in the Colorado River mayย result in striking day-to-day impactsย โ€œthat could have a devastating impact on Arizonaโ€™s communities, environment, and economy,โ€ including stopping some suburban development and central Arizonaย agriculture.

And that is just the beginning of what is likely due to the โ€œstructural deficitโ€ in the Colorado River between supply and demand. According to the 2017 report, the river simply cannot support all of its current users, even in normal, non-droughtย conditions.ย 

โ€œWe are prepared for shortages, but we are not prepared for a worst-case scenario,โ€ said Kathryn Sorensen, director of water services for the City of Phoenix, told Water Deeply. โ€œThere are some real challenges ahead ofย us.โ€

Simply switching power generation to wind and solar will not solve the monumental water scarcity issues facing Arizona and many other areas around the world, but continuing to use water-hungry power sources when viable alternatives are available certainly does nothing to even begin addressing thoseย issues.

Water: The Oil of the 21stย Century

Ten years ago,ย the CEO of Dow Chemical,ย Andrew Liveris, called water โ€œthe oil of the 21st century,โ€ a phrase since repeated in numerous news storiesย in the decade that hasย followed.

With global oil demand in 2018 reaching 100 million barrels a day for the first time, oil is not yet aย commodity of the past century. Not only is that oil consumption worsening climate change,ย which is worsening water scarcityย for much of the world, the oil industry itself is at times directly competing for that scarce water in certainย areas.

In 2014 Mother Jones reported theย following:

โ€œThe Westโ€™s fracking boom was putting new strains on the system; according to one study, energy companies controlled more than a quarter of the flow in the upper Colorado basin. In drought-plagued Texas, ranchers and cities already were being priced out of the water market by oil and gasย interests.โ€

As with power generation, oil production โ€” especially when it involves fracking โ€” uses large amounts of water, often in very dry areas of theย country.

As one investor buying up water resources explained to Mother Jones at the time: โ€œItโ€™s the most necessary of all commodities. Thereโ€™s no substitute for it at anyย price.โ€

Main image:ย President Barack Obama wth Vice President Joe Biden speaks with CEO of Namaste Solar Electric, Inc., Blake Jones, while looking at solar panels at the Denver Museum of Nature and Scienceย in 2009. Credit: White House, publicย domain

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Justin Mikulka is a research fellow at New Consensus. Prior to joining New Consensus in October 2021, Justin reported for DeSmog, where he began in 2014. Justin has a degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Cornell University.

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