Overview of the Energy Water Nexus, Dr. Carey King, University of Texas at Austin
1. Overview of the Energy Water Nexus
Texas Alliance of Groundwater Districts
Carey King
Center for International Energy and Environmental Policy
The University of Texas at Austin
June 26, 2012
2. Water and energy are linked in a fundamental
way
• Water treatment and supply require energy
• Water is used in power generation, oil &
gas production, and, increasingly, in the
production of biofuels
• Conserving water saves energy
• Conserving energy saves water
Carey King, PhD
TAGD 2
June 26, 2012
3. Takeaways
• Marginal energy resource life-cycles often have
increased ability to affect or be affected by
– Water quantity
– Water quality
• Emotional ties to water affect into energy issues
• Resilience vs. efficiency
– Not going to discuss, but think about general goals
of energy and water planning
Carey King, PhD
TAGD 3
June 26, 2012
5. US hydropower exemplifies water limiting an
energy resource
US Hydropower Performance and Capacity
Clean Water Act (1972)
0.7 120,000
0.6 100,000
0.5 Capacity Factor 80,000
0.4 Hydro Capacity (MW)
60,000
0.3
40,000
C
o
p
a
F
y
c
r
t
i
0.2
20,000
W
M
m
0.1
N
C
u
p
e
a
y
v
c
t
)
(
l
i
0.0 0
1880 1900 1920 1940 1960 1980 2000 2020
Carey King, PhD
EIA Annual Energy Review 2008. TAGD 5
June 26, 2012
6. Determining the factors that lead to this
pattern: climate, competing water uses
US Hydropower
Clean Water Act (1972)
Carey King, PhD
DOE (2006). Energy Demands on Water Resources. Report to Congress . TAGD 6
June 26, 2012
7. Power plant water consumption varies by cooling type
1,000 (gal/MWh)
Cooling 800
Towers 600 Pond
Hybrid
400
Once-
200
through
Dry
PV, Wind, CSP Stirling
Carey King, PhD
TAGD 7
Macknick, et al. (2011). NREL/TP-6A20-50900. June 26, 2012
8. Power plant water withdrawal varies by 100X
50,000 (gal/MWh)
40,000
Once-
30,000
through
20,000
10,000 Pond
Cooling Towers
Carey King, PhD
TAGD 8
Macknick, et al. (2011). NREL/TP-6A20-50900. June 26, 2012
9. Peak water?
Constant US withdrawal for three decades
Carey King, PhD
TAGD 9
Hutson et al. (2004). USGS. June 26, 2012
10. Withdrawal vs. Consumption:
When is each one important?
• Thermoelectric (or energy) “use” of water
– Withdrawal ~ 48% of US total (USGS, 2004)
– Consumption ~ 3% of US total (USGS, 1998)
• Avoid using the term “use” to describe water
– Can’t tell if “using” a LOT or a LITTLE?
• A power plant withdrawing water from a river/lake
versus a dedicated cooling reservoir has different ...
– Operational risks
– Environmental impacts
Carey King, PhD
TAGD 10
June 26, 2012
11. Concentrating solar power (CSP):
ex. of marginal electricity impacted by water constraint
Wet cooled:
@ 800-900 gal/MWh
Dry cooled:
@ 100 gal/MWh
+3-5% higher $/MWh
Direct Normal Solar Radiation
kWh/m2/day
8.00-8.25
7.75-8.00
7.50-7.75
7.25-7.50
7.00-7.25
6.75-7.00
6.50-6.75
6.25-6.50
6.00-6.25
5.75-6.00
Carey King, PhD
5.50-5.75 NREL (2007) DOE/GO-102007-2400. TAGD 11
June 26, 2012
2.75-5.50
12. Wet Cooling for CSP (trough)
NREL (Kutcher) Carey King, PhD
TAGD 12
June 26, 2012
13. Dry Cooling for CSP (trough)
Carey King, PhD
TAGD 13
June 26, 2012
14. Texas generated 437 terawatt-hours in 2011,
consuming < 5% Texas water
Other
~0.0 gal/kWh 1.6%
Wind
0.3-0.6 gal/kWh
0.6 gal/kWh 6.9%
King, Duncan, and Webber (2008)
Nuclear
9.1%
Coal
36.1%
EIA Form 923.
NG
46.3%
NGCC:0.2-0.3 gal/kWh Carey King, PhD
NG-GT: < 0.1 gal/kWh TAGD 14
June 26, 2012
15. Texas water planning example:
Consumption depends on fuel, cooling, and CO2 choices
Texas Water Consumption for Electricity Generation
1,800,000
Plan
CO2 cap
1,600,000
ater
scenarios
W
1,400,000
St ate
2 TX NG
201
1,200,000 %
20 NG
acre-feet/yr
%
40
1,000,000
800,000
600,000
Non-CO2 cap
400,000
scenarios
200,000
Plant-by-plant
estimation
0
2000 2010 2020 2030 2040 2050 2060 2070
Carey King, PhD
TAGD 15
King, Duncan, & Webber (2008). TWDB Report. Water Demand Projections for Power Generation in Texas June 26, 2012
16. Do Texas water rights suspensions during
2011 drought show ‘priority’?
• “Surface water in Texas is owned by the state and
held in trust for the citizens of the state.” (TCEQ)
• Texas water rights are (mostly) “first in time, first in
right”
– Oldest water rights have senior priority
– Water suspensions start with most junior rights
• 2011: “In order to protect public health and welfare,
water rights with municipal uses or for power
generation have not been suspended.” (TCEQ)
– http://www.tceq.texas.gov/news/releases/010912DroughtLittleSandy
– http://www.tceq.texas.gov/news/releases/080811drought11brazos4
Carey King, PhD
TAGD 16
June 26, 2012
17. Water for Energy: Transportation Fuels
Dominguez-Faus et al. Environ. Sci.
& Technol. 2009 43 (9), 3005-3010.
18. Water Consumption Intensity from Near Zero
to > 100 gal/mile
Carey King, PhD
TAGD 18
King & Webber (2008). Env. Sci. & Tech. 42 (21), 7866-7872. June 26, 2012
19. Miles driven per fuel in 2030: 4,069 Billion
“High Diversity Scenario for 2030”: ~ 20%
NETL (Kern et al.) Case
conventional petroleum (4.1 trillion miles)
Biomass gasification to
Biodiesel - No Irr. Soy
liquids
3.2%
8.6%
Biodiesel - Irr. Soy
0.2% Gasoline (E10)
20.0%
E85 - Non-Irrigated
ls
Cellulosic
fu e
9.2%
E85 - Irrigated
Cellulosic Diesel
Bio
1.7% 3.1%
E85 - No Irr. Corn
Grain or Stover
9.9%
E85 - Irr. Corn Grain
Coal to FT Diesel
l
or Stover
si
1.7% 20.3%
os
No
f
Electric (EV/PHEV) -
nli
v.
NG to FT Diesel
U.S. Grid
qu
n
0.9%
co
8.1%
H2 - Electrolysis, U.S.
ids Un
Gasoline - Oil Shale
Grid H2 - SMR 10.4%
1.3% 1.3%
Carey King, PhD
TAGD 19
King, Webber, Duncan (2010) Energy Policy, 38 (2), 1157-1167. June 26, 2012
20. 8,000
Will water consumption in 2030 be for fuels
G
L
y
r
/
6,000
4,000 non-existent before 2000?
2,000 Same thoughts in 1970s energy crisis
0
2005 2010 2015 2020 ~ 10% 2030 Water
2025 US
Water Consumption - NETL Consumption
16,000
Electricity via PHEV – US Grid
14,000 Oil Shale - Gasoline
12,000 Coal to Liquid (Diesel)
Biomass to liquids
10,000 Irrigated Soy Biodiesel
Non-irrigated Ethanol – E85
8,000 Cellulosic
G
L
y
r
/
6,000 Irrigated Ethanol – E85
Cellulosic
Irrigated Ethanol – E85 Corn Grain
4,000 Non-irrigated Ethanol – E85
Irrigated Ethanol – E10 Corn Grain Corn Grain
2,000
Irrigated Ethanol – E85 Corn
Petroleum Gasoline
0 Grain & Stover
2005 2010 2015 2020 2025 2030
Carey King, PhD
King, Webber, and Duncan (2010) Energy Policy, 38 (2), 1157-1167. TAGD 20
June 26, 2012
Harte and Gasseir (1978) Science, 199, 623-634.
22. Water resource impacts from energy can be
local or remote; quality and quantity
Low water
availability Shale gas
(oil shale & shale produced water
resources) treatment/disposal
Aquifer
Depletion
Hypoxic zone
Carey King, PhD
Chiu, et al. Water embodied in bioethanol in the U.S. Environ. Sci. and Technol. 2009 43 (8), 2688-2692. TAGD 22
June 26, 2012
23. Hydraulic fracturing in SDWA exemption was
integrated water-energy policy
(not necessarily engaged)
• Energy Policy Act (2005) exempted hydraulic
fracturing from the federal Safe Drinking Water Act
– Ruling under review
– Various ongoing studies (EPA, academic)
– Creates animosity public and competing industries
• Issue mostly concerns water quality … not quantity
– Millions of gallons per well, many wells per pad
– ~ 1-10 gal H2O/MMBtu of Barnett Shale NG1
• low end of fossil and renewables
• Bene´, J.; Harden, B.; Griffin, S.; Nicot, J. P. Assessment of groundwater use in the Northern Trinity Aquifer
Carey King, PhD
due to urban growth and Barnett Shale development.; King and Webber (2008) Env. Sci. & Tech. TAGD 23
June 26, 2012
24. Policy concerns over CWA 316(b) proposed
rule is about withdrawal impacts on wildlife
• 316(b) concerns intake requirements at power
plants that might force cooling towers
– New generation units subject to closed loop
cooling towers
– Existing plants concerns pushed to states for
case-by-case studies
– Minimum fish kill requirement or max. intake
velocity
Carey King, PhD
TAGD 24
June 26, 2012
25. Senate Energy and Natural Resources bill
seeks to inform and improve data
• Energy and Water Integration Act 2011 (S. 1343)
– Calls for National Academies Study of water
energy interactions
e.g. “… include a lifecycle assessment of the
quantity of water withdrawn and consumed in the
production of transportation fuels …”
– i.e. calculate as gal H2O/mile (King & Webber (2008) Env. Sci. and Tech.)
– Information must be used wisely in policy
– What relates to consumers may not to a river basin
Carey King, PhD
TAGD 25
June 26, 2012
26. This is not data on water-energy
http://gaslandthemovie.com/
Texas license plate
Not data either!
Carey King, PhD
TAGD 26
June 26, 2012
27. Much policy ensure alternative energy
We need to discussion centers on US
dependencedon’t just switch the pump
resources on Middle Eastern/OPEC oil
www.fouralarm.ca
Carey King, PhD
TAGD 27
June 26, 2012
28. Thank You
WEBBER ENERGY GROUP
Center for International Energy and
Environmental Policy
http://www.jsg.utexas.edu/cieep http://www.webberenergygroup.com
Carey King
careyking@mail.utexas.edu
Editor's Notes
The Atlantic Council will hold the first of two workshops on the Energy-Water Nexus in Washington, DC on May 17, 2011. The purpose of the conferences is: to better inform Congress, the American public, and key policy and industry leaders on the energy and water related issues so that United States will be able to protect its energy, national, economic and environmental security. The Council will undertake a series of 2 discussions on the challenges and options to ensuring sustainable water resources for producing primary energy fuels and meeting electric power requirements while taking into account the needs of agriculture and commercial/public consumption.
“ Public health and safety can include needs such as drinking water, fire protection, hospital use, tree preservation, necessary domestic uses, and other uses determined by the municipal user to be necessary to protect public welfare.” http://www.tceq.texas.gov/assets/public/agency/9-16-11-muni.pdf
From Nicot (2005) TWDB report on Barnett Shale: 0.007 gal/scf of NG; so this water only is < (0.01 gal/scf)(5.9 scf/mile) = 0.06 gal/mile Gerbens-Leenes (2009) ~ 78 m^3/GJ of ethanol from corn in US, or 490 m^3/ton of grain from Hoeskstra and Chapagain (2007). At 387 L EtOH per tonne of corn grain, this comes to 1,260 L H2O/L EtOH for ET. Gerbens-Leenes (2009). The Water Footprint of Bioenergy. PNAS , www.pnas.orgcgidoi10.1073pnas.0812619106. Domingueze-Faus (2009) The Water Footprint of Biofuels. Env. Sci. and Tech.
4.1 trillion miles projected for 2030
15 Billion gallons of corn ethanol = 57 billion liters for RFS 36 Billion gallons of biofuels = 136 billion liters by 2022 for RFS
Subtitle C—Production SEC. 321. OUTER CONTINENTAL SHELF PROVISIONS. (a) STORAGE ON THE OUTER CONTINENTAL SHELF.—Section 5(a)(5) of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (43 U.S.C. 1334(a)(5)) is amended by inserting ‘‘from any source’’ after ‘‘oil and gas’’. (b) NATURAL GAS DEFINED.—Section 3(13) of the Deepwater Port Act of 1974 (33 U.S.C. 1502(13)) is amended by adding at the end before the semicolon the following: ‘‘, natural gas liquids, liquefied petroleum gas, and condensate recovered from natural gas’’. SEC. 322. HYDRAULIC FRACTURING. Paragraph (1) of section 1421(d) of the Safe Drinking Water Act (42 U.S.C. 300h(d)) is amended to read as follows: ‘‘ (1) UNDERGROUND INJECTION.—The term ‘underground injection’— ‘‘ (A) means the subsurface emplacement of fluids by well injection; and ‘‘ (B) excludes— ‘‘ (i) the underground injection of natural gas for purposes of storage; and ‘‘ (ii) the underground injection of fluids or propping agents (other than diesel fuels) pursuant to hydraulic fracturing operations related to oil, gas, or geothermal production activities.’’. From King and Webber (2008) Water Intensity of transportation , there is 7,200 ac-ft of water used (injected, recovered, and transported for disposal/treatment) for 350 Bcf of natural gas from Barnett Shale in 2005 ( 14). This is 6.52065E-06 gallons/ Btu of NG. TWDB Barnett Shale report: Bene´, J.; Harden, B.; Griffin, S.; Nicot, J. P. Assessment of groundwater use in the Northern Trinity Aquifer due to urban growth and Barnett Shale development.TWDBContract Number 0604830613; 2007. Available 5-23-08 at http://www.twdb.state.tx. us/RWPG/rpgm_rpts/0604830613_BarnetShale.pdf.