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Water Resource Availability and
Power Generation
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, roughly half of the water withdrawn per day in the United States is used for electric power generation.
As the world population grows, the pressure on water resources continues to increase due to accelerated economic activity and consumption.
01
Climate impacts the water cycle by determining the time, volume, and location of precipitation, influencing streamflow intensity and groundwater levels.
02
Landscape influences surface runoff patterns. Impervious surfaces increase water runoff and decrease water infiltration to groundwater reservoirs.
03
Water use within a local area tends to be proportional to population and use by other sectors, so areas with growing populations and economic activity usually have increasing water usage.
04
Regulations to control water quality and quantity can impose withdrawal and discharge limits.
Drivers of change in water trends:
Mean annual streamflow describes the average rate of water carried by a river or stream over a year.
Increases or decreases in average annual streamflow impact the operation and infrastructure of energy companies, including intakes and spillways.
Seasonal trends of high and low flows are showing wider ranges as a result of exacerbating drought conditions and earlier snowmelt periods, posing a threat to the existing power generation infrastructure in some regions of the country.
Increase in total flow volume: Periods of high flow during high precipitation might cause infrastructural damage to the facilities and lead to temporary shutdowns.
Increase in water temperature: Water temperatures in some regions have been shown to be increasing. High temperatures may make it difficult to comply with thermal discharge limits and increase turbine back pressure, leading to lower power output.
Increase in concentrations of nutrients: Recent trends have shown that increases in some contaminants make water treatment before and after power production challenging, complicating compliance with water discharge regulations.
Change in generation mix: As the generation mix changes, the electric power industry's needs for water will likely change as well, and this might vary regionally.
Decrease in total flow volume: A prolonged period of low flow of water during dry weather might decrease the water supply to facilities, leading to a temporary or permanent shutdown.
Physical
Challenges
Regulatory
Challenges
Financial
Challenges
Reputational
Challenges
Equity
Challenges
The formation of scaling due to physical changes in the parameters of water, such as increased dissolved solids, higher pH, temperature, and ion concentrations, leads to minerals exceeding their solubility limit.
Formation of scaling can reduce heat transfer capacity. increase energy consumption, and cooling water consumption.
Cooling is the process of condensing the after-turbine steam in the internal circuit and then recycling it.
Higher water temperatures could make the design and operation of the component cooling systems problematic or impossible.
Hydropower plants use scheduling to maximize the gross utilization of power generation during specific periods while meeting operational and environmental constraints.
This utilization of scheduling is based on long-term average flows. Year-to-year flows may vary drastically due to a drought or flood, which can lead to operational risks.
Much of the world’s thermal and hydroelectric capacity lies within regions of high water stress.
Freshwater withdrawals for the power sector account for 18% of all water withdrawals globally.
Countries with more solar and wind capacity generally consume less water in power generation.
Developing new policies & regulations
Policies that support sustainable water practices and agreements may enable water managers to effectively meet needs.
New Technologies
Implementing dry or hybrid cooling or water-efficient renewable energy sources could pose concerns such as technical challenges, economic barriers, and limits with space requirements
New siting options
Siting new power plants in restricted water areas, or expanding existing facilities, is becoming difficult.
Water planning
Increased state and regional water planning efforts
Temporary solutions
Installing temporary diesel pumps for pumping of water.
Identifying contingency sources of water in upstream reservoirs .
Portable cooling towers
Temporary solutions might be enough during droughts. However, long-term solutions may be needed to address increasing population, decreasing water levels, and increasing regulatory requirements.
Potential
Short and Long-term Solutions
Water Availability Challenges
Alternative Solutions
Lack of nearby water could affect the ability to obtain an unrestricted water withdrawal permit at the site. This may require sourcing sufficient cooling water from multiple water sources.
Reclaimed Water
Rainwater harvesting and recycled wastewater can help lower water stress in arid regions. Reclaimed water also eases the pressure on groundwater and other water bodies.
Water Risk Concerns for
Power Systems
Potential impacts & challenges for The Power industry
Water availability patterns could have variable impact on power generation
global water demand could
exceed supply 40% by 2030
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EPRI Insights—Water Resource Availability
April 2023
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EPRI Insight | 2023
IMPACTS
Modifications, risks increase with low-flow/high-flow periods
Competing needs for same water source, upstream pressures
Compliance with laws, permits, regulatory requirements
POWER PLANT INFRASTRUCTURE
COMPETITION
FOR COMMON
POOL RESOURCE
GOVERNMENT
REGULATIONS
e.g., Clean Water Act on both the quantity and quality of water
Risk of exposing communities near power plants to physical, environmental issues
Risks posed by changes in the available quantity of water
E.g.,
sustainability among consumers and other relevant stakeholders
May result from physical or regulatory risk, e.g. expense to maintain water supply
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Cooling
Scaling
Scheduling
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