Energy Exchange: Energy Water Nexus

By Kate Zerrenner, Jaclyn Rambarran On May 5, 2018, the city of San Antonio will officially be 300 years old! On that day in 1718, the Presidio San Antonio de Béxar (a Spanish fort) was founded. The city’s tricentennial celebration will culminate in a weeklong celebration of history, art, and culture the first week of May. […]

In Cape Town, South Africa, the countdown is on for Day Zero when water taps in the city of 4 million people are expected to run dry. Yet, while this water crisis has been making headlines worldwide, nobody’s talking about the connection between water and energy. In a rapidly changing climate, we should. Cape Town […]

Can strategic pricing programs motivate people to save water and energy? Our new paper, Examining conservation-oriented water pricing and programs through an energy lens, suggests the answer is yes – but there are other factors besides pricing at play in programs’ success. Our findings support the notion that water is conserved through these utility programs, which […]

It’s time to rely on water-smart power Energy Secretary Rick Perry is trying to prop up coal and nuclear companies under the guise of enhanced “resiliency.” The Department of Energy’s (DOE) proposal does not define resiliency, nor does it even make clear what resiliency means in the context of the electric grid. Resiliency in the […]

Resiliency is a hot button word right now. Ten years ago, advocates focused on “adaptation,” or the idea of adapting to the coming effects of climate change. Now the focus is on “resiliency,” the ability to bounce forward – not backward – when something disastrous happens. For El Paso, a city on the border between […]

By: Jori Mendel, AT&T Smart Cities, and Chandana Vangapalli, former Environmental Defense Fund Climate Corps Fellow Technology revolutionizes the way people interact with the world. From video chats to securing homes from thousands of miles away, digital connections bring us closer to what matters most. This same connectivity can play a critical role in helping […]

By Kate Zerrenner

Kate Zerrenner and Leon Kaye of Triple Pundit tasting desalinated water at Sorek.

There’s an old expression that whisky is for drinking and water is for fighting over. The Legislative Session is upon us again in Texas, and count on water being an issue, as it always is in this drought and flood-prone state.

To start, this Session will see the approval of the 2017 State Water Plan (SWP), which is done in five-year cycles. In the five years since the last plan, Texas has gone from the throes of a devastating drought to historic flooding, which resulted in some reservoirs being full for the first time in 15 years.

Moreover, as more people move to Texas and climate change advances, there will be greater strain on the state’s water supplies. According to the SWP, Texas is already in a tighter situation than it was just five years ago: Surface water and groundwater availability will be 5 percent lower in 2060 compared to predictions in the 2012 plan, and existing water supplies are expected to drop by 11 percent between 2020 and 2070. Where are we supposed to get the water we need?

One place we could look to for ideas is Israel, which relies heavily on desalination – or the process of removing salt from water – to meet its needs. During Session, there will likely be calls to implement and fund desalination projects in Texas, which can help ensure water supplies in the future. But we need to take a page from Israel’s book, and create plans and policies that are thoughtful about reducing the technology’s energy footprint.

Cutting desal costs in Israel

Sixty percent of Israel is desert, and the rest is semiarid. (Texas, in comparison, is about 10 percent desert.) The harsh, dry climate means ensuring water supplies is a top priority, and as a result Israel gets up to 75 percent of its potable water from desalination. To put that into perspective, the entire state of Texas currently produces about 123 million gallons per day with desalination, or roughly 465,606 cubic meters per day. The Sorek Desalination Plant outside Tel Aviv, one of many in the country, alone produces about 624,000 cubic meters per day/ 164 MGD.

Lowering Desalination’s Energy Footprint: Lessons from Israel
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I recently toured the Sorek plant, the largest desal plant in the world, which provides about 20 percent of Israel’s potable water. One of the things that struck me, other than the sheer size, was how energy was a front-and-center concern. Since desal plants need constant power – and a lot of it – energy is by far the most expensive part of running the plant. Groundwater desal is highly energy-intensive, and seawater even more so – power is estimated at about half of seawater desal plants’ entire operating costs.

Kate Zerrenner and Leon Kaye of Triple Pundit standing in a desalination pipe at Sorek.

Three tactics help ease these costs and maintain plant reliability:

• On-site power generation: Two of the other biggest plants in Israel are located next to power plants, which means less energy lost during transmission and distribution, as well as greater reliability. One of those, Hadera, is located near a gas-fired power plant, which requires significantly less water than coal. Israel could further cut desal’s water footprint by installing no-water resources like wind turbines or solar panels on-site, as Texas is trying to do.
• Energy efficiency: Israel is home to the two most energy-efficient desal facilities in the world: Hadera and Sorek, respectively. Sorek looks to reduce its energy consumption at every step of the process, like its energy recovery system, which captures energy from the brine stream that would have otherwise been wasted and uses it to power pumps. Unfortunately, U.S. desal plants tend to be behind the tech curve because the approval process takes so long. With a robust, more streamlined approvals process and newer technology, American plants could maximize efficiency as Israel does.
• Taking advantage of smart pricing: Israel has variable electricity rates, meaning they change depending on the season, day of the week, and time of day. Sorek negotiated a lower electricity rate in exchange for participating in the demand response program – in this case, agreeing to do the most production at night when both electric demand and prices are lower. In fact, Sorek was built to be responsive to peak demand: It can change its operating capacity from 30 to 120-percent production in less than five minutes, in response to the electricity rate. Moreover, by enabling customers to alter their energy-use based on peak demand and pricing, Israel’s entire electric grid benefits from greater stability. Leveraging demand response could help desalination in Texas and other states that deal with drought, like California, be more energy- and water-efficient.

Desal in Texas

So, what does all this mean for Texas? In his recent book, Let There Be Water, Seth M. Siegel writes about how native Texan Lyndon B. Johnson shared former Israeli Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion’s approach to water. Ben-Gurion saw the promise of desal and LBJ seemed to view the technology as the future for ensuring America’s water supplies, especially in dry areas like his own beloved Texas Hill Country. Today, Texas is home to the largest inland desal facility in the world, the Kay Bailey Hutchison Desalination Plant. 

"Desalination is turning the water issue from a zero-sum game to a win-win."

LBJ may have been the first Texas proponent of desal, but he certainly is not the last. IDE, the company behind Sorek (and the new Carlsbad facility in San Diego), opened an office in Austin a few years ago to look for potential sites in the state. Further, Governor Greg Abbott, recently paid a visit to Sorek, and many legislators who understand the importance of safeguarding water supplies are supportive of desal.

In the SWP 2017, about 2.7 percent of the proposed supply strategies are for desalination. That’s a relatively small percentage, but it translates to a giant energy footprint. When it comes to desal, Texas leaders need to understand that using low-water energy sources like solar and wind is important, energy efficiency is critical, and having smart energy policy that supports a more flexible grid – like Israel’s variable pricing – rounds it out.

As Texas embarks on another round of figuring out how to solve our water woes, we could take a lesson from Israel. The country has figured out how to maximize desalination’s potential, while minimizing its energy footprint. As Uri Ginott of EcoPeace Middle East said, “Desalination is turning the water issue from a zero-sum game to a win-win. Every drop doesn’t have to come at the expense of another.” When we live in a typically dry place that’s only expected to get drier, being comprehensive about our water solutions sets us all up to win.

Editor’s note: Kate was a guest of Vibe Israel, a non-profit organization leading a tour called Vibe Eco Impact in December 2016, which explores sustainability initiatives in Israel.

On a warm December day, I stood in a jojoba field in the Negev Desert in southern Israel and watched water slowly seep up from the ground around the trees. First a tiny spot, then spreading, watering the plants from deep below. This highly efficient system is known as drip irrigation, and I was there […]

This weekend, thousands of people will descend upon Houston to watch the New England Patriots and Atlanta Falcons duke it out at the Super Bowl. But the game won’t be the only thing on display. In 2014, Houston’s NRG Stadium became one of the first major sports venues to use LED energy-efficient lights. The system […]

There’s an old expression that whisky is for drinking and water is for fighting over. The Legislative Session is upon us again in Texas, and count on water being an issue, as it always is in this drought and flood-prone state. To start, this Session will see the approval of the 2017 State Water Plan […]

At my household, a new year means a new energy and water-use baseline. By that I mean, every month, I look at how much electricity and water I used in comparison to the same month the previous year – so I can try to be as efficient as possible. But I work in the energy […]

When you prepare the Thanksgiving meal, do you ask each person to make a dish of their choosing, with no coordination for an overall cohesive meal? Probably not. Most likely, you plan, because you want everything to fit together. Now imagine a water utility with different departments like water quality, finance, and administration. Most water […]

Dustin McCartney, senior data analyst at Pecan Street, co-authored this post. Have you ever thought about how much water your dryer needs to dry your clothes? (And no, I don’t mean your washing machine.) Every appliance in your home has a water intensity, or the amount of water needed to make and send the electricity […]

Each year since 1981, the United Nations (UN) recognizes an International Day of Peace on September 21. The day is intended to strengthen peace both within and among nations. As an environmental advocate, I can’t help but think about the effects of climate change on the current state of global peace. And while there are […]

By Kate Zerrenner

This year has seen historic flooding across the South. In addition to the devastating rains that recently hit Louisiana, severe floods pummeled Texas earlier this year. In both cases, the states’ National Guards were first responders, rescuing families, delivering meals and supplies to survivors, and providing local agencies with high-water trucks, boats, and helicopters.

As the frequency of extreme weather events like these increases, it is imperative that the National Guard can continue devoting resources to critical, first-responder services. But in Texas, those services could be threatened by the state’s dwindling water supplies.

A new study from CNA Analysis & Solutions, funded by Environmental Defense Fund and in collaboration with the Texas Army National Guard (TXARNG), shows many Texas defense facilities are in water-stressed counties. Over time, this could result not only in higher water costs, but also power production constraints, since it requires a lot of water to produce and move electricity from traditional energy sources like coal and natural gas. Both of these challenges pose a direct threat to the budget and operating capabilities of the TXARNG. Fortunately, the analysis also indicates these same areas have great potential for solar energy, which requires little to no water to meet power needs on-site.

By tapping into that potential and pursuing bolder energy efficiency initiatives, TXARNG could ease pressure on the electric grid and reduce utility bills, all while safeguarding residents and precious water supplies.

Impressive solar potential

The TXARNG is a component of the Texas Military Department, and has about 19,000 soldiers operating out of 77 facilities across the state. The new study mapped water stress and the potential for solar, wind, and geothermal energy at 60 of these facilities (17 rental spaces with no purchasing power over energy choices were excluded).

Due to facility age and the nature of operations, many locations require a lot of power to keep humming. For example, seven of the 60 facilities use more than 1 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity per year each, which is equivalent to 104 homes’ electricity use for one year. The largest installation and the Texas National Guard’s headquarters, Camp Mabry in Austin, uses more than 1,200 homes’ electricity use for one year.

Among the findings, the potential and need for solar power in Texas stands out. Here’s how:

• More than 20 of the TXARNG facilities studied have significant solar potential on a daily basis. For context, sunny states like California, Texas, and Florida all average about five kilowatt hours per square meter per day (kWh/m2/day) solar potential statewide, while states like Maine and Minnesota come closer to 3.5 kWh/m2/day (kWh/m2 is sometimes called a “sun hour” and is the equivalent of one full hour of sun—the higher the number, the greater solar potential). But the most promising TXARNG facilities studied have more than five kWh/m2/day solar potential, meaning there is a great opportunity to take advantage of the sun’s rays at TXARNG installations.
• Average electricity prices for nearly 20 of the facilities, including some of the largest, is $0.10 per kWh or higher (the average electricity price in Texas is about $0.08 per kWh). Relatively high prices means an opportunity to lower expenses by exploring on-site power sources, like solar, or cutting energy use through efficiency.
• By 2050, rain in Texas could decrease by five inches or more in the eastern half of the state and up to 2.5 inches in the western part of the state. Less rain means less water available to make electricity using traditional methods.

Moreover, this study shows that it makes sense to match high energy demand with high potential for solar electricity. For example, the Lubbock site has the sixth-highest energy use and fourth-highest solar potential, presenting a clear opportunity to reduce pressure on the grid by meeting demand with on-site solar.

Plus, as the cost of solar continues to decrease, especially in relation to conventional fuel sources, the economics make more and more sense.

Conserving energy, saving money

As the study puts it, “investments in energy efficiency could also be very cost-effective and have the advantage of being independent of location.” In other words, whereas solar potential relies on factors like cloud coverage, all military facilities in Texas can implement energy efficiency initiatives – regardless of the site’s natural surroundings or environmental conditions. Projects to enhance efficiency could include retrofitting or updating boilers, lighting, or heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems.

Energy efficiency is also a win-win from an environmental and cost perspective. To start, the resource is both pollution and water-free. The study also cites data that compares the cost of different energy sources, and efficiency has the lowest cost range to implement. Plus, lowering energy use through efficiency could help reduce energy bills, freeing up money to potentially spend on training and equipment rather than high electricity bills.

Easing water woes

How do all of these pieces fit together for the TXARNG? Some facilities exhibit a confluence of factors that indicate prime locations for the deployment of low-water intensity energy resources.

For example, Fort Bliss Readiness Center in El Paso has the third-highest electricity use (2.3 million kWh per year), the highest solar potential, the most extreme category of future water stress, and one of the highest electricity prices. Taken together, these factors indicate that Fort Bliss would be well-suited for targeted energy efficiency and solar deployment to reduce water demand and electric bills.

With a future of water stress in its sights, the Texas Army National Guard now possesses a powerful weapon in its arsenal: data to know where to target low-water-intensity energy resources like solar and energy efficiency. These investments will ensure the military agency has the option to devote more of its resources to critical missions rather than energy and water bills. Moreover, although the study was specific to the Army branch, the results can help inform investment decisions for the entire Texas National Guard. With a strategy laid out, the TXARNG can continue defending not only Texans, but its future energy and water supplies.

This post originally appeared on our Texas Clean Air Matters blog. 

By Kate Zerrenner

Olympic Games are historically about gold, silver, and bronze – not green. Even the “greenest” Olympics, held in London in 2012, used nearly 400 temporary generators, which release harmful pollution, including carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides among many others. Nevertheless, when Brazil won its bid in 2009 to host the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, the country pledged to host the "Green Games for a Blue Planet,” a festival with sustainability at its core.

Brazil, nearly as large as the U.S. and holding 60 percent of the Amazon rainforest, currently uses renewable energy to make about 85 percent of its electricity (compare that to the U.S., where only 13 percent of our electricity comes from renewable sources). With renewable energy success like that, who better to host the “Green Games?”

Yet, despite Brazil’s ambitious goals, years of planning, and an advantage in existing renewable energy resources, Brazil is falling short of its goal for a cleaner, greener Olympics. This is because serious social, political, environmental, and health challenges tangent to the Olympics have constrained the nation’s ability to realize the sustainability goals Brazil thought achievable in 2009.

Like Brazil, countries and states around the world today – including my home state of Texas – are embarking on their own ambitious national and state sustainability goals. These goals are more long-term than a single summer event, but we have the same lesson to learn: To reach sustainability and environmental goals requires interweaving into the fabric of all policy solutions.

Intertwined solutions

Brazil has set environmental goals, such as stopping deforestation and aiming to reduce the country’s carbon emissions 37 percent of 2005 levels by 2025. So, the nation is no stranger to thinking in terms of big environmental solutions.

For the Olympics, solutions for both the environment and economy could have been further explored. If the Olympics go smoothly, it could be a huge economic boon to Brazil. But consider one of the venues for sailing and windsurfing, Guanabara Bay, which is so polluted that some countries are debating whether they should even allow their athletes near the body of water. The two issues are combined: The pollution is potentially affecting the economic potential of the Games.

Brazil has also recently been struggling with drought, which threatens the hydropower resources that make up the vast majority of the country’s renewable power. If the drought continues, more diesel generators will be required for the Games and possibly beyond, meaning more air pollution. Increased pollution threatens not only athletes and spectators, but also millions of Brazilians with lower incomes. This vulnerable population already disproportionately suffers the effects of poor air quality, including greater susceptibility to diseases and further engulfing large swathes of communities in unsanitary and unhealthy conditions. Exacerbating this linkage, poor health leads to greater stress on the economy overall, completing the nexus of the environment, health, and economy.

Going for the Green: Rio Olympics Show Link between Environment, Economy, Health
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Lessons for Texas

This dilemma is not restricted to Brazil or to the Olympic Games. Every country faces these problems on some level, including the U.S. Look at my home state of Texas, where state policies and politics often view environmental issues as separate from or opposed to economic health, when really they are inseparable.

For example, our state decision makers have strongly resisted the Clean Power Plan, the nation’s first-ever attempt to reduce carbon pollution from power plants, falsely claiming that it is a financial burden on Texans and Texas industry. However, according to an Environmental Defense Fund analysis, the Lone Star State is already nearly 90 percent of the way toward compliance based on market forces alone. And, save for inflation, the market trends moving Texas to a clean energy future will not increase electricity prices.

Moreover, the Clean Power Plan would encourage the use of clean energy, which Texas has more potential to develop than any other state. In this case, helping the environment would also help the economy by creating local jobs and increasing revenue from clean energy industries.

Plus, lowering carbon pollution can prevent premature deaths, hospitalizations, and heart attacks, an undeniable tie to public health. The millions of Americans who suffer the most from the effects are often those with the fewest economic means, and the most to gain from cleaner air.

The reality is, when we separate environment from economics and public health, we’re making policy solutions that are piecemeal and inefficient at best, and harmful to one or the other at worst. Connecting the dots is necessary. We must create a future in which countries (and states) are able to undertake ambitious projects like the Olympics and still protect their people, natural resources, and fiscal health. Gold medals may not be at stake in this “event,” but a prosperous future is.

The post originally appeared on the Texas Clean Air Matters blog.

By John Hall

Austin, my home for the past 35 years, is typically a pretty sunny place year-round. But summer is when I am reminded of the sun’s unwavering presence and strength.

Fortunately, Texas is beginning to put those rays to work, as evidenced by GTM Research and the Solar Energy Industries Association’s (SEIA) newest U.S. Solar Market Insight. Along with projected scenarios from the state’s main grid operator and a recent poll of Texas voters, the report confirms the Lone Star State’s solar power is on an unstoppable course. And the more we can take advantage of the sun’s energy, the less we have to rely on outdated, polluting coal plants – a good thing for our health and water.

Here are three reasons Texas solar is on the rise:

• Texas solar is growing very quickly: The new Solar Market Insight report declares Texas to be the fastest growing utility-scale solar market in the country. In fact, by the end of 2016, SEIA predicts the state’s total installed solar capacity will more than double. And within the next five years, Texas’ solar market will be second only to California’s (although, considering California has one-fourthof the solar power potential of Texas, we could eclipse the Golden State in coming years).

• Solar will make up nearly all of Texas’ new power capacity: The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), the grid operator for nearly 90 percent of the state, recently released a new long-term system assessment. ERCOT evaluated the state’s 2031 electricity needs in eight potential scenarios based on trends and forecasts. For example, one scenario is the continuation of low natural gas prices and another reflects high economic growth.
  Solar was the common denominator in all eight of the scenarios: This clean energy resource represented nearly all of the new capacity in each one. In other words, the grid operator predicts that – in all foreseeable future circumstances – a lot more solar is coming online in the state. Moreover, the range varied from a low of 14,500 MW to a high of 28,100 MW, or approximately 25 or 50 times what Texas has installed today. Finally, if electricity generation capacity other than solar is added to the mix, it will be a combination of wind and natural gas, not coal.

• Texans agree on solar: A recent poll from the Texas Clean Energy Coalition found an overwhelming majority – 85 percent – of the state’s voters want to increase the use of clean energy (including solar) to generate electricity. Even better, both sides of the aisle are on board: That group included 78 percent of Republican respondents.

Health, water, and job rewards for Texans

Increasing the use of low-carbon solar energy has myriad benefits, starting with health. For example, decreasing harmful carbon pollution can prevent heart attacks, asthma attacks, and premature deaths. And a healthier Texas means fewer missed days of work and school, and less strain on our healthcare system.

Second, solar panels use little to no water to produce energy, unlike coal plants, which require copious amounts of water for cooling and treatment. Texas has received a lot of rain this year, but another drought is always right around the corner. And, in a state with explosive population growth, saving water through solar energy could greatly alleviate water woes.

Finally, solar energy’s success goes hand in hand with job growth. According to the State Solar Jobs Census, Texas was sixth in the nation with a total of 7,030 solar jobs in 2015. That’s already a formidable number and we’ve barely begun to scratch the surface of our sunny potential. For evidence of possible growth, California – which, again, has less solar power potential than we do – has 10 times as many solar jobs as Texas.

These new reports show how fast and by how much Texas’ solar market is taking off, and polling confirms the growth is in line with what most of our voters want. Texas’ strong sunshine may get tiresome in the summer, but it’s providing us with cleaner energy that’s lowering pollution, saving water, and creating jobs. To me, that’s worth the heat.

Photo source: Flickr/ricketyus

This post originally appeared on our Texas Clean Air Matters blog

By Kate Zerrenner

It’s been an interesting time for water in Texas. Beyond the incredibly wet and cool spring we’ve been having, Memorial Day saw the second year in a row of record-breaking floods.

And a few weeks ago, the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) asked for comments on the draft 2017 State Water Plan. The TWDB is the state agency responsible for water planning, and every five years it produces a strategy that “addresses the needs of all water user groups in the state – municipal, irrigation, manufacturing, livestock, mining, and steam-electric power.”

In the five years since the last state water plan, Texas has gone from one extreme to the other in terms of water: from the throes of a devastating drought to historic flooding that resulted in some reservoirs being full for the first time in 15 years.

In this climate of feast or famine, we need to better understand our water supplies and conservation efforts, both of which have a strong tie to our energy choices. That’s why Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) weighed in on Texas’ draft water plan. Not only does the state significantly overestimate the amount of water needed to make electricity, but a more comprehensive view of energy in relation to water demand and supply would benefit the 2017 State Water Plan and future plans.

Cleaner energy means less water demand

The comments EDF submitted on the 2017 draft plan focus on the energy-water nexus – the idea that conventional energy resources (such as coal) require large amounts of water to produce electricity, and most of the water we use requires a considerable amount of energy to treat and transport it.

Texas has been on an impressive ramp-up of clean energy in the past few years, and all signs point to this trend continuing.

Texas produces its plan based on submissions from the 16 regional water planning groups – naturally, supply and demand varies by region. But one thing is clear from a statewide perspective: The water needs for the power sector are not accurate for planning purposes. (To the state’s credit, its water agency acknowledges this, but a comprehensive overhaul is needed to bring projections in line with reality.)

In the draft plan, the TWDB forecasts annual steam-electric water demand, or water needed for fossil fuel-fired power generation, will increase from 733,179 acre-feet in 2010 to 953,000 acre-feet in 2020 and 1,108,000 acre-feet in 2030. These numbers are based on Texas’ forecasted economic and population growth and the associated increase in electricity and water demand.

If Texas were operating with the same energy resources it deployed in 2010, those estimates would be accurate. However, they do not consider the state’s evolving energy reality: Texas has been on an impressive ramp-up of clean energy in the past few years, and all signs point to this trend continuing.

In fact, over the past two decades, coal-fueled generation has lost significant market share to natural gas and renewable energy resources. From 2002, the year Texas’ competitive electric retail market was implemented, to 2015, wind’s share grew from one percent to 12 percent in the Lone Star State. And last year alone, coal generation dropped from 36 percent to 28 percent.

These changes matter because clean energy – like energy efficiency, solar PV, and wind – uses virtually no water to create electricity, versus thirsty coal and natural gas. In other words, the water intensity of the state’s generation mix is decreasing. Moreover, the transition to cleaner, less water-intensive electricity is almost entirely due to market forces, including the decreasing economic viability of coal and lower prices of solar and natural gas, coupled with targeted standards that encourage increased energy efficiency.

According to EDF’s analysis, based on energy data from Texas’ main grid operator, the state water agency’s forecast for Texas’ power-related water needs in 2030 exceeds the future reality by nearly 40 percent. That is a massive amount of water that could be budgeted for our homes, agriculture, and businesses. The dramatic overestimation of the power sector’s future water needs means we do not have a comprehensive, clear picture of the state’s water demands.

Additional energy-water nexus considerations

Beyond projecting the power sector’s water needs, additional energy-water nexus issues must be part of our statewide water planning. For example, 2.7 percent of the 2017 plan’s recommended water strategies include groundwater and seawater desalination, both of which are highly energy-intensive. In fact, energy can account for nearly half the costs in seawater desalination. In considering strategies such as these, the energy, and related water intensity, of the strategy should be evaluated. Desalination requires copious amounts of energy, so if traditional fossil fuels are powering the desalination facilities, it is essentially using water to make water.

Texas’ Evolving Energy Reality: Clean Energy Uses Less Water
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Further, a more comprehensive approach toward the energy-water nexus in the State Water Plan could enable both energy and water savings statewide. For example, the California Energy Commission found that as much energy could be saved through water conservation as through the investor-owned electric utility efficiency programs, but at half the cost. Although we do not have similar data for Texas yet, we can assume that better coordination between the two sectors could improve direct water conservation and indirect water savings through energy efficiency.

TWDB is a water agency, and power generation is just one of many sectors that have to be considered when making forecasts for future water demands and availability. Further, TWDB is actively making an effort to improve steam-electric power generation forecasting, which hopefully will take the state’s transition to clean energy into account. Our official projections should use the best available data and methods to ensure wild swings in weather don’t translate to wild swings in water supplies. Incorporating a more holistic energy-water lens into state planning can help guarantee reliable, plentiful water for our communities and businesses for years to come.

Photo source: Flickr/BlueRidgeKitties

By EDF Blogs

Public voting is open for SXSW Eco 2016 – one of the world’s most high-profile environmental conferences. Cast your vote by May 20 to help determine which panels, workshops, solo talks, and bootcamps the conference will feature Oct. 10-12 in Austin, TX.

Whether or not you plan to attend the conference, your opinion matters: SXSW Eco aims to highlight breakthrough ideas and discover new ways of addressing critical environmental challenges, locally and globally. In other words, what matters to you, matters to SXSW Eco.

Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) has submitted three panel proposals this year, featuring our own clean energy experts, as well as industry leaders from across the U.S. and diving into topics we regularly explore on the Energy Exchange: solar power equity and reliability, and the energy-water nexus.

Voting is free, fast, and for a cause you care about. So, no excuses: Vote for your favorite EDF panels and presentations today!

You can Help Shape the Clean Energy Conversation: Vote for SXSW Eco Panels
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 How to vote

Login or create a PanelPicker account here: http://panelpicker.sxsw.com. To vote for EDF’s panels, use the search tool to find the titles below. Give a session a “Thumbs Up” or “Thumbs Down,” leave some comments, and move on. The process only takes a minute.

Panels organized by EDF, Clean Energy

Let's Talk About Solar Power & Equity
We need to have “the talk” about solar power and equity, because ignoring uncomfortable questions will invite misinformation and bad decisions. We need an informed dialogue about how local solar power can impact low-income communities and communities of color in the U.S. We need to talk about “all the good things, and the bad things, that may be.” Panel speakers:

• Jorge Madrid EDF Coordinator, Partnerships and Alliances
• Michael Kadish GRID Alternatives Greater L.A.
• Brentin Mock The Atlantic, CityLab
• Anya Schoolman Community Power Network

Keeping the Lights On: Solar & Grid Reliability
Many want to see more distributed solar energy on our electricity grid, but few can answer tough questions about reliability and fully meeting demand with an intermittent resource. One problem: "peak sun" (~11am-3pm) doesn't generally match "peak demand" (~4pm-7pm) in many regions, causing reliability concerns, "dumping" of excess renewable energy, and leading to the use of dirty "peaker" power plants. States are mandated to lower carbon in their energy portfolio, but also need to prepare for impacts of climate change, extreme weather, and unstable fossil fuels. Can a robust package of distrusted solar, advanced storage, and demand management tech save the day? Panel speakers:

• Lenae Shirley EDF Senior Director, Technology Innovation and Market Adoption
• Sam Jammal SolarCity
• Julie Castro Chai Energy
• Jon Fortune Sunverge Energy

Voting is free, fast, and for a cause you care about. So, no excuses: Vote for your favorite EDF panels and presentations today! 

What if Energy Spent a Day in Water’s Shoes?
Secretary of State Kerry recently declared clean energy a multitrillion dollar opportunity. Although he noted the potential impacts to global water supply, the role water plays in our energy choices was nowhere to be found. But there’s an inextricable connection between energy and water – one requires the other. If clean energy is a greater investment opportunity than hi-tech, as Kerry suggests, smart water planning and technology can help us reach that future faster. But first, we have to break down the silos between the two, viewing energy through a water lens and vice versa. If energy spent a day in water’s shoes, it could reveal a whole new world of possibilities. Panel speakers:

• Kate Zerrenner EDF Manager, Energy-Water Initiatives
• Karen Guz San Antonio Water System
• Jordan Macknick National Renewable Energy Laboratory
• Ben Ruddell Arizona State University

Photo source: anna Hawks / Flickr

By Kate Zerrenner

You probably have some sort of insurance – for your healthcare, car, house, or apartment. Acting on climate change is also like insurance. It is all about managing the risks.

We can’t know for certain what the future brings, but recent research predicts a 40 percent shortfall of available water across the globe by 2030. In the face of this prediction, a new report from the World Energy Council, “The Road to Resilience – Managing the Risks of the Energy-Water-Food Nexus” helps lay some groundwork to ensure we plan for the climate risks that will affect our most essential resources.

I have talked about the reliance of energy on water and water on energy (the energy-water nexus), and touched on their connection to food. But let me make that linkage clearer: 70 percent of available global freshwater is used by the agricultural sector, and energy is the second-largest freshwater user globally after agriculture (although this varies from country to country and region to region). Relatedly, about 15 percent of total U.S. energy demand is for the food sector (this includes both agriculture and processing), and roughly 13 percent of U.S. energy use is for water-related purposes. 

The bottom line is: Each sector relies upon and influences the other two. Moreover, water stress or scarcity has a huge impact on both our energy and food. This report focuses on how the energy sector can better manage impacts on land and water, suggesting the industry would be wise to take out a little insurance to help bolster resilience and protect itself. Let’s break down the report’s recommendations.

Holistic energy-water planning: Hedging your bets in a water-stressed world
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Guidelines for creating a water-smart energy future

Because water and energy are so closely connected, vulnerabilities in one amplify the vulnerabilities of the other, compounding risk. Viewing energy through a water lens can help address critical concerns like electric reliability and resilience. Here are a few ways to get there:

1. Project developers need to be able to better understand the water footprint of energy technology choices

Some energy sources use considerably less water than others – coal and nuclear top the list of thirsty energy, while energy efficiency, solar PV, and wind need negligible amounts of water. But many people are unaware of this critical factor. Taking into consideration the water requirements of energy choices could help ensure the development of projects that alleviate water stress. For example, having clear water-use data may mean electricity planners could prioritize the deployment of those sources with lower water intensity during times of drought – powering up natural gas instead of coal, perhaps, or increasing the amount of solar PV or wind in the energy balance.

1. Risk assessments should reflect a comprehensive understanding of long-term system risks

It is irresponsible to plan future energy needs without careful consideration and incorporation of appropriate climate and hydrological scenarios. If full environmental modeling is not done to ensure resilience and reliability can be met with future water scenarios, investors in energy projects should rightfully be concerned. For example, if you’re planning to build a fossil fuel-fired or nuclear power plant without considering the increased water stress from climate change, the water may not be available in 15 years to cool the plant down, making these risky investments.

1. Water scarcity has to be taken into account and, where possible, priced appropriately

An accurate price should include the true cost of water in relation to the energy sector. Water pricing is a highly sensitive issue, but when talking about the energy sector, just looking at the price power producers pay for the water they use – versus the water they withdraw – is not a reflection of the value. For example, although in general the amount of water consumed by an electric generating facility is much less than the water it withdraws, the water withdrawn (but not consumed) may not be in optimal condition (e.g., it may be hotter than it was when it was withdrawn). Furthermore, while the water is withdrawn it is not available for other local uses. But the price of water does not reflect these consequences. The true cost of water would include societal impacts and weighing current needs with future availability, based on climate models.

1. Transparent and predictable regulatory and legal frameworks are needed

Currently water and energy are in two different silos when it comes to regulation and legal frameworks: different authorities, different budget streams, different professionals. A more comprehensive and collaborative approach could enable a more predictable and streamlined policy framework that reveals existing inefficiencies and undiscovered opportunities for efficiency.

1. Measures to minimize finance cost and stabilize returns can be taken

Because of the disaggregated nature of the water sector, there are currently no comprehensive, robust financial tools to completely assess risk. One of the examples the report uses: Some parts of the financial services and insurance industries already offer instruments that consider electric price volatility, some reliability issues, and weather-related impacts. These financial products could be applied across the energy sector to hedge against risks such as water scarcity.

Because of the disaggregated nature of the water sector, there are currently no comprehensive, robust financial tools to completely assess risk.

Additionally, investors want to have confidence in the projects they invest in. Environmental Defense Fund has been instrumental in developing the Investor Confidence Project energy efficiency protocols, which help instill confidence that commercial building energy efficiency upgrades will produce the energy savings promised. In trying to establish similar protocols for water investments, the market is too fragmented for a streamlined protocol akin to energy. There is clearly a lot of work to be done, and understanding the risks as well as the guaranteed returns is critical.

This World Energy Council report underscores the need for a more systemic approach to both energy and water. Both sectors know they impact and rely on the other, but also face competing demands and the seemingly overwhelming task of where to even start. These recommendations lay out some good first steps for ensuring the future resilience of our energy sector through a more comprehensive lens that includes water. Think of it as energy taking out a water (and food) insurance policy.

Images used by permission of the World Energy Council.