Water energy nexus

Water-Energy Nexus

TEXAS WATER CONSERVATION ASSOCIATIONThe Woodlands, Texas

March 6, 2014

Mike Nasi

Jackson Walker [email protected] 512.236.2216

Presentation Outline• Water-Energy Nexus• Energy for Water• Water for Energy• Using the Nexus FOR Texas

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TEXAS NEEDS WATER TO MAKE ELECTRICITY(2-3% of Texas water consumption)

TEXAS NEEDS ELECTRICITY TO PROVIDE WATER (~ 1-3% of Texas electricity consumption)

Source: H2O4Tx & Freese & Nichols


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WATER SYSTEM ELECTRICITY NEEDS

WATER SOURCE

CONVEYANCEWATER

TREATMENTDISTRIBUTION

ENDUSERS

WASTEWATERCOLLECTION

WASTEWATERTREATMENT

RECYCLED WATER

TREATMENT

WATER SOURCE

EXTRACTION

Based on model shown in Analysis of the Energy Intensity of Water Supplies for West Basin Municipal Water District, authored by Robert C. Wilkinson, Ph.D.

Source: H2O4Tx & Freese & Nichols

Energy Penalty of Treatment

•Conventional water treatment = 0.1-1.0 kwh/1000g

•Desal of brackish groundwater = 2.5-7.0 kwh/1000g

•Desal of seawater = 7.6-13.6 kwh /1000g


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Consumption v. Use• Key distinction between use and consumption. • Water “used” can be reused.• Water “consumed” is not available for another use. • Example: Water use includes a power plant

withdrawing water from a supply, using it as cooling water in the plant’s operation, and then reintroducing it back into a water supply. Water “consumed” is the water that is evaporated in the process and not directly reintroduced into the water supply.

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Condenser

“Once-Through” Reservoir Cooling System

Cooling Reservoir

Recirculated Cooling Water

As NeededMakeup Water

Evaporation, Radiation, & Convection Cool Water Generator

ELECTRICITY

Turbine

ProcessSteam

Process Steamfrom Boiler

Process Water to Boiler

Warmed Water

Condenser

Cooled Water

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Source: AEP

Condenser

Evaporative Cooling Tower System

Turbine

ProcessSteam

Recirculated Cooling Water

Generator

As NeededMakeup Water

Reuse in other Plant Processes

Treatment

Discharge

Blowdown

Evaporation Cools Water

ELECTRICITY



Cooled Water

Warmed Water

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Source: AEP

Typical Dry Cooling System

Turbine

Fans

Air-CooledCondenser

ConvectionCools Steam

ProcessSteam



Generator

ELECTRICITY

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Source: AEP

Presentation Outline• Water-Energy Nexus• Energy for Water• Water for Energy• Using the Nexus FOR TexasNot as spin to convince the government

to pick winners & losers.

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The Water-Energy Nexus Needs to be About Cooperation, not Spin

BUILDING UPTEARING DOWN

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Needless Attack # 1

TEARING DOWN

Power plants consume “too much” water

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REALITY

Power plants are good stewards and consume

relatively little of the State’s water resources

BUILDING UPTexas Fleet

Efficiency and Cooperation with Water Providers

Ensures Drought Tolerance

PERC. Acre-Feet

Irrigation 60% 9,256,426

Steam Electric 3% 412,607

Mining/E&P 1% 228,542

Manufacturing 7% 1,095,789

Municipal 27% 4,158,203

Livestock 2% 308,098

TOTAL 100% 15,459,665

Water Consumption in Texas by Sector

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Source: Kent Zammit, Viability and Impacts of Implementing Various Power Plant Cooling Technologies, 2012 Technical Report, Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) (Oct. 2012)

Power Plant Stewardship of Water

Thermoelectric, freshwater

Year

1950 1955 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010

With

dra

wa

l (b

illio

n g

allo

ns

pe

r d

ay)

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

Ga

llon

s/M

W-h

ou

r

0

10000

20000

30000

40000

50000

Source: EPRI

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Needless Attack # 2

TEARING DOWN

One of the best things you can do to “save” water is turn your lights off.

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REALITY

Of all the things Texans can do to

save water, turning off the lights is not high

on the list.

BUILDING UP

Energy efficiency and water

conservation groups should join

forces in educational efforts.

Needless Attack # 3

TEARING DOWN

Texas could “save” water if it shut down coal plants and replaced them with natural gas plants.

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REALITY

Allegation of water “savings” flawed:

• Fleet consumption rates skewed

• Resource adequacy realities ignored

BUILDING UP

Let the market work and newer

technologies will come on line that use less water for every type of fuel.

Press Release Graphic of UT BEG Study

Flawed Assumption: assumed the worst consumption rate for replaced coal units and the best consumption rate for the gas units that the study alleges would “replace” them

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Comparison of Power Plant Water Consumption Rates

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WATER COOLED POWER PLANT WATER CONSUMPTION RATES (gal/kWh)

FUEL SOURCE Cooling Tower Once-Through

AVERAGE RATE OVER

TEXAS FLEET

Coal .60 - .66 .34 - .45 0.51

Natural Gas (water cooled)

Simple Cycle -.70 -1.03Combined Cycle-.22-.23

Simple Cycle - .35-.37Combined Cycle-.22-.23 0.73

Nuclear .60 .60 0.67

Sources: Water Consumption and Withdrawal for Power Generation in Texas, TWDB, 2008, 2012.

Cherry-picking consumption rates when assuming water “savings” is inappropriate.

NO MEGAWATTS TO SPARE: Production & Manufacturing = Rising Demand for

Electricity (& Water)• Texas uses more energy than any other state in the

nation, almost as much as the next two states (California and Florida) combined.

• Nearly half of Texas’ electricity use is for industry and manufacturing, which includes the oil & gas and petrochemical industries (more than next 3 states combined).

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Source: Energy Consumption by End-Use Sector, Ranked by State, 2010 Rankings, U.S. EIA.

“Saving” Water By Attacking Existing Investment / Assets – an example closer to home

• Closing an existing power plant in Texas under the theory that a new plant will be more water-efficient is like. . .

• . . .closing an existing surface water reservoir in Texas under the theory that a new project will be more water-efficient (e.g., less evaporation)

NO MEGAWATTS OR ACRE FEET TO SPARE!

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NO MEGAWATTS TO SPARE: Cloud Computing’s Growing

Electricity Demands

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The Cloud will consume more electricity this year than all of the world’s lighting in 1985 & that consumption will grow significantly every year. . .

Source: Mark P. Mills, Big Data, Big Networks, Big Infrastructure, and Big Power (August 2013)

If the Cloud Were A Country. . .

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Source: Mills, Big Data.

In Terms We Can All Understand…

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Source: Mills, Big Data.

= 1 Year

1 Hour/Week/Year

“…using [a phone or tablet]

to watch an hour of video weekly consumes annually more electricity in the remote networks

than two new refrigerators

use in a year.”

And the Cloud is Growing in Texas…

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Source: The Texas IT Services Industry, Texas Wide Open for Business, 2013.

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ALL of the ABOVE !

Remember . . .

WATER-ENERGY NEXUS

FOR

TEXAS

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Water energy nexus

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