Water for Electricity: Resource Scarcity, Climate Change and Business in a Finite World

The report analyzes the 'water-energy nexus,' highlighting how the transition to low-carbon electricity can create new pressures on water resources. It compares the water withdrawals and consumption of conventional fossil-fuel plants, nuclear power, and various renewables. A case study of California's Renewables Portfolio Standard (RPS) demonstrates that while shifting to renewables can reduce emissions, certain choices—like solar thermal—can increase water consumption. The authors argue for integrated planning that prioritizes low-water technologies, efficiency improvements, and water recycling to ensure energy security without compromising water availability.

• Climate change and associated hydrologic changes are already causing electricity generation disruptions, such as a 2006 drought in Uganda that reduced hydropower capacity by one-third and 2003 heat waves in France and Germany that forced nuclear power curtailments.
• Carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) significantly increases the water requirements of power plants; adding CCS to a coal-fired plant roughly doubles water withdrawals and increases consumption by at least one-third.
• Among low-carbon technologies, solar thermal (CSP) is identified as having the most substantial implications for water management because it is typically sited in hot, arid areas where water is scarce.
• Wind power and solar photovoltaics (PV) have a significant advantage in water-scarce regions due to their minimal to zero operational water consumption.
• Hydropower is highly sensitive to climate change, particularly in glacier-fed regions like the Himalayas and Andes, where initial increases in stream flow from melting glaciers will eventually be followed by a sudden drop.
• In the California case study, a 'Business As Usual' (BAU) scenario predicts that by 2020, annual emissions will rise by 13 million tonnes CO2e, water withdrawals will increase by 1,422.97 million m3, and water consumption will rise by 97 million m3.
• An 'RPS+Technology' scenario for California shows that combining CCS with a shift from solar thermal to PV and the adoption of dry-cooling can simultaneously reduce emissions and water withdrawals compared to BAU.
• Water recycling, specifically the use of treated municipal wastewater (grey water), is a significant unclaimed resource for power plant cooling, as seen in Arizona where plants used 223,000 m3 per day in 2005.

APA

Fencl, A., Clark, V., Mehta, V., Purkey, D., Davis, M., & Yates, D. (2012). Water for Electricity: Resource Scarcity, Climate Change and Business in a Finite World. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Climate/sei-3c-2012-water-electricity.pdf

Chicago

Fencl, Amanda, Victoria Clark, Vishal Mehta, David Purkey, Marion Davis, and David Yates. Water for Electricity: Resource Scarcity, Climate Change and Business in a Finite World. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2012. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Climate/sei-3c-2012-water-electricity.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Fencl |first1=Amanda |last2=Clark |first2=Victoria |last3=Mehta |first3=Vishal |last4=Purkey |first4=David |last5=Davis |first5=Marion |last6=Yates |first6=David |title=Water for Electricity: Resource Scarcity, Climate Change and Business in a Finite World |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |date=2012 |url=https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Climate/sei-3c-2012-water-electricity.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{fencl2012water, author = {Fencl, Amanda and Clark, Victoria and Mehta, Vishal and Purkey, David and Davis, Marion and Yates, David}, title = {{Water for Electricity: Resource Scarcity, Climate Change and Business in a Finite World}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2012}, url = {https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Climate/sei-3c-2012-water-electricity.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }