The Energy-Water Connection in Texas

Texas must address energy and water use together to meet state's growing demands for both resources, says new report

Posted: 06-Apr-2009; Updated: 07-May-2009

EDF expert Amy Hardberger talks about the close link between energy and water in Texas and why it matters.

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The Energy-Water Nexus in Texas [PDF] (produced jointly with the University of Texas at Austin).

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Watch presentations about the Energy-Water Nexus in Texas report by co-author Ashlynn Stillwell from the University of Texas:

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Energy and water are finite resources that are closely linked — and increasingly strained by rising demand. For example, generating electricity requires large amounts of water for cooling and other functions. And significant electricity is needed to treat and deliver clean water. Yet policy decisions generally don’t consider energy and water use together.

A new report from Environmental Defense Fund, The Energy-Water Nexus in Texas [PDF] — produced jointly with the University of Texas — concludes that failing to consider the link between water and energy could further drain these already vulnerable resources.

With the challenges of climate change looming and Texas' population growing, the state can no longer afford to make decisions in isolation on supplying energy and water to its residents. Our report's overarching message: Increasing efficiency in both sectors is key to stretching finite supplies and reducing costs to Texans.

Cutting energy use also saves water

One of the fastest, most efficient ways to save water in drought-stricken Texas is to increase energy efficiency. Here’s why:

Enough water for more than 3 million people is used in Texas each year to cool the state’s thermoelectric power plants. Increasing energy efficiency will cut energy demand, limiting the need for water for cooling, and also reducing the need to build new, water-hungry plants.
Enough electricity for about 100,000 people goes to run water and wastewater systems each year in Texas. So reducing water use also will save energy.

In drought-stricken Texas, reducing water use and increasing energy efficiency will help conserve both resources.

Extreme weather in Texas increases vulnerabilities

Droughts, heat waves and hurricanes are not unusual experiences for Texas. Such extreme weather can seriously damage water and energy supplies, and climate change and population growth will only make these problems worse. Consider these examples:

A severe drought in the southeastern United States in 2007-2008 brought power plants within days of being forced to shut down due to a lack of water for cooling.
A severe multi-year drought in the Western U.S. has so lowered water levels behind Hoover Dam that Las Vegas risks losing much of its drinking water. Also, the dam’s hydroelectric turbines could quit spinning and cut off a significant source of power for Los Angeles.
During the heat wave in France in 2003 that was responsible for approximately 15,000 deaths, nuclear power plants had to reduce their power output because of the high inlet temperatures of the cooling water just when electricity demand was spiking due to air conditioning use. (U.S. and French regulations restrict the discharge of too-warm water to avoid ecosystem damage from thermal pollution.)
Hurricanes Ike and Gustav caused sustained power outages, which can affect the ability to get safe, clean drinking water to the public.

Recommendations for integrating energy and water planning

To address the problem of strained water and energy resources, EDF's report makes specific recommendations on how to build a framework for more integrated energy-water planning, including:

Require a study to determine how much water is available for use when siting new fossil-fueled or concentrated solar power plants.
Require proposed power plants to evaluate cooling technology to minimize water use, while considering effects on power plant efficiency.
Provide incentives for implementing power plant cooling technologies that are less water-intensive than traditional systems.
Provide state agency guidance to water suppliers to help quantify energy use and cost savings associated with water conservation.

If Texas maintains or increases its current water use patterns, demand for water could exceed available water supplies, pushing Texas into a water crunch. Fortunately, there’s another way. “Reducing energy use is the fastest, most efficient way to achieve the large-scale water savings Texas needs,” says EDF attorney and report coauthor Amy Hardberger.