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The Impact of CO2 Emission Reductions on U.S. Electric Sector Water Use
Citation:
Yelverton, W., C. Cameron, AND R. Dodder. The Impact of CO2 Emission Reductions on U.S. Electric Sector Water Use. AWMA Information Exchange, RTP, NC, November 27 - 28, 2012.
Impact/Purpose:
The purpose of this poster is to provide an update on work being done to analyze the impacts of carbon dioxide reduction on water use in the U.S. electricity generation sector.
Description:
The electric power sector is currently one of the largest water withdrawers and fastest growing water consumers in the U.S. Water supply in the United States is becoming increasingly stressed due to growth in population, per capita energy consumption and industrial water use. At the same time, climate change is expected to decrease water availability and increase water temperature. These changes have the potential to decrease thermoelectric cooling capacity and, as a result, to threaten U.S. electric power reliability. Reducing the dependency of our power supply on water availability will thus be a critical component of our adaptation to climate change. This study explores how four scenarios of carbon dioxide (CO2) emission reduction in the U.S. could impact the water use of the electric power sector through 2055 using simulations of the EPA’s U.S. 9-region (EPAUS9r) MARKAL (MARKet ALlocation) integrated energy systems model.