Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

How Much Water Can We Save By Achieving Renewable Portfolio Standards In The Southwest United States?, Yuzhen Feng, Sachiko Sueki, Dale Devitt, Kumud Acharya

Life Sciences Faculty Research

Electricity in the Southwestern United States is primarily generated with water intensive steam turbines. If energy demand continues to rise this will lead to a further rise in water demand. A comprehensive understanding of water consumption and withdrawal for utility scale generation of electricity is necessary before any improvements in the water efficiency of such systems in arid environments can be made. This study estimated and compared the water usage associated with thermoelectric generation (i.e., natural gas, coal), and solar energy, in the five driest Colorado River Basin states: Utah, New Mexico, Nevada, Arizona, and California. This study also examined …