{"query_echo":{"q":"","filters":{"analysis_type":["data quality audit"]},"warnings":[{"code":"facet_value_not_in_vocabulary","message":"Value 'data quality audit' for facet 'analysis_type' is not in the controlled vocabulary."}]},"total":{"value":2,"relation":"eq"},"page":1,"page_size":20,"self":"https://climateinsightsdirectory.org/api/v1/search?analysis_type=data+quality+audit","stability":"beta","ai_marking":{"digital_source_type":{"uri":"http://cv.iptc.org/newscodes/digitalsourcetype/trainedAlgorithmicMedia","name":"Created using Generative AI"},"notice":"Summary and key insights are generated using artificial intelligence."},"results":[{"id":"ucs-000625","url":"https://climateinsightsdirectory.org/document/ucs-000625","title":"Freshwater Use by U.S. Power Plants","publisher":{"name":"Union of Concerned Scientists","organization":"union-of-concerned-scientists"},"document_type":"report","language":"en","date_published":"2011-11","source_url":"https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2014/08/ew3-freshwater-use-by-us-power-plants.pdf","generator":"Climate Insights Directory","generated_fields":["summary","key_insights","climate_tags","geography_discussed","analysis_type"],"summary":{"text":"The report finds that U.S. thermoelectric power plants withdrew between 60 billion and 170 billion gallons of freshwater daily in 2008, with coal plants accounting for the majority of this use. It identifies significant regional disparities in water intensity, noting that plants in the East generally withdraw more water due to a higher prevalence of once-through cooling. The analysis reveals that power plants contributed to water-supply stress in 20% of the 400 stressed watersheds identified. Furthermore, the report highlights critical gaps and inaccuracies in U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) data, including the total absence of reporting from the nuclear fleet. It argues that climate change and population growth will exacerbate these stresses, urging a shift toward low-water cooling technologies and low-carbon energy sources to ensure grid reliability and ecosystem health.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"ucs-000625#summary","date_modified":"2026-10-23"},"key_insights":[{"text":"In 2008, water-cooled thermoelectric power plants in the U.S. withdrew between 60 billion and 170 billion gallons and consumed between 2.8 billion and 5.9 billion gallons of freshwater daily. The coal fleet was the largest contributor, responsible for 67% of withdrawals and 65% of consumption.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"ucs-000625#insight-1","date_modified":"2026-10-23"},{"text":"Water withdrawal intensity varies significantly by region; plants in the East withdrew 41 to 55 times more freshwater per unit of electricity than plants in Utah, Nevada, and California, primarily because Eastern plants rely more on once-through cooling.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"ucs-000625#insight-2","date_modified":"2026-10-23"},{"text":"Low-carbon energy is not always low-water. In 2008, nuclear plants withdrew nearly eight times more freshwater per unit of electricity than natural gas plants and 11% more than coal plants. Some concentrating solar power plants consume more water per unit of electricity than the average coal plant.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"ucs-000625#insight-3","date_modified":"2026-10-23"},{"text":"Power plants contributed to water-supply stress in 20% of the 400 watersheds (out of 2,106 analyzed) that were experiencing stress in 2008. The report identified 25 watersheds in 17 states where power plants were the primary driver of this stress.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"ucs-000625#insight-4","date_modified":"2026-10-23"},{"text":"Thermal pollution is a widespread issue, with over 350 power plants reporting peak summer return flow temperatures exceeding 90°F, which can be lethal to aquatic wildlife.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"ucs-000625#insight-5","date_modified":"2026-10-23"},{"text":"Federal water-use data from the EIA contains substantial gaps and errors. Nuclear power plants were entirely exempt from reporting in 2008, and other plants accounted for 28% to 30% of missing withdrawal data and 24% to 31% of missing consumption data.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"ucs-000625#insight-6","date_modified":"2026-10-23"},{"text":"Reporting discrepancies are common across many states. In South Carolina, calculated withdrawals were 5 to 12 times higher than the 262 billion gallons reported to the EIA.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"ucs-000625#insight-7","date_modified":"2026-10-23"},{"text":"Climate change is projected to increase the frequency and severity of droughts by 2050, particularly in the Southwest and Rocky Mountain states, which will further strain the water resources that power plants depend on for cooling.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"ucs-000625#insight-8","date_modified":"2026-10-23"}],"climate_tags":["nuclear power","coal-fired power station","wind power","photovoltaics","carbon capture and storage","climate change","drought"],"geography_discussed":["Texas","North Carolina","Alabama","Minnesota","Arizona","Idaho","Virginia","California","Nevada","Georgia","South Carolina","Missouri","Michigan","Colorado"],"frame_perspective":[],"analysis_type":["quantitative assessment","data quality audit","regional analysis","environmental impact assessment"]},{"id":"ember-000348","url":"https://climateinsightsdirectory.org/document/ember-000348","title":"A power sector analysis of draft NECPs","publisher":{"name":"Ember","organization":"ember"},"document_type":"report","language":"en","date_published":null,"source_url":"https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2024/10/NECP-analysis-for-EU-COM_-FINAL.pdf","generator":"Climate Insights Directory","generated_fields":["summary","key_insights","climate_tags","geography_discussed","analysis_type"],"summary":{"text":"The analysis of 15 draft NECPs reveals a significant increase in wind and solar capacity targets since 2019, bringing the EU closer to REPowerEU goals, though still falling short. While renewable electricity is projected to generate 66-67% of EU electricity by 2030, the report highlights a critical lack of quantified targets for electricity storage and clean flexibility. Furthermore, the document criticises the poor quality and transparency of data provided in the draft plans, which hinders accountability and investment signals.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"ember-000348#summary","date_modified":"2026-10-23"},"key_insights":[{"text":"Wind and solar capacity targets have increased significantly since 2019, with solar targets rising by an average of 64% and wind by 49% across the 15 analysed drafts. This trajectory suggests the EU solar fleet will triple and the wind fleet will double by 2030.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"ember-000348#insight-1","date_modified":"2026-10-23"},{"text":"Despite the increase, planned deployment remains below REPowerEU goals. The estimated total EU solar fleet of 617 GW for 2030 is 123 GW short of the 740 GW proposed in REPowerEU, while the estimated wind fleet of 445 GW is short of the 500 GW target.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"ember-000348#insight-2","date_modified":"2026-10-23"},{"text":"Renewables are expected to dominate the EU power sector, potentially generating 66-67% of electricity by 2030. Some member states, including Denmark, Lithuania, and Portugal, are projected to exceed 90% renewable electricity by 2030.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"ember-000348#insight-3","date_modified":"2026-10-23"},{"text":"There is a significant lack of detail and quantified targets for clean flexibility and electricity storage. Only six of the 15 analysed plans provide quantified targets for growing electricity storage, which the report describes as a missed opportunity for European innovation.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"ember-000348#insight-4","date_modified":"2026-10-23"},{"text":"The quality and transparency of data in the draft NECPs are generally very poor. Only Spain provided comprehensive data across key metrics such as GHG emissions, final energy demand, electricity generation, and installed generation capacity.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"ember-000348#insight-5","date_modified":"2026-10-23"},{"text":"Progress on phasing out coal varies; while Spain's draft plan shows no active coal capacity from 2025, Hungary and Italy have pushed back their previous phase-out commitments to 2030 and 2026-2028 respectively.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"ember-000348#insight-6","date_modified":"2026-10-23"}],"climate_tags":["solar energy","wind power","renewable energy","Grid decarbonization","fossil-fuel phase-out","greenhouse gas emissions"],"geography_discussed":["Spain","Italy","Lithuania","Netherlands","Denmark","Portugal","Sweden","Hungary","Finland","Estonia","Cyprus","Slovenia","Croatia"],"frame_perspective":[],"analysis_type":["policy analysis","capacity target assessment","data quality audit"]}]}