Multiple metrics for quantifying the intensity of water consumption of energy production

Discussion of the environmental implications of worldwide energy demand is currently dominated by the effects of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions on global climate. At the regional scale, however, water resource challenges associated with energy systems are a growing concern. This paper, based on an i...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Environmental research letters 2014-10, Vol.9 (10), p.105003
Main Authors: Spang, E S, Moomaw, W R, Gallagher, K S, Kirshen, P H, Marks, D H
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide emissions
Energy
Energy consumption
Energy demand
energy portfolio
Indicators
Mathematical analysis
Normalizing
Portfolios
Water availability
Water consumption
water intensity
Water resources
Water use
water-energy nexus
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Summary:Discussion of the environmental implications of worldwide energy demand is currently dominated by the effects of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions on global climate. At the regional scale, however, water resource challenges associated with energy systems are a growing concern. This paper, based on an inventory of national energy portfolios, posits an indicator-based framework for characterizing regional energy portfolios' relative water intensity. These calculations extend upon a previous paper that established a method for calculating the national water consumption of energy production (WCEP) at the global level. Intensity indicators are based on normalizing the WCEP results with a set of additional indicators (including population, gross domestic product, total energy production, and regional water availability). The results show great variability in water consumption across nations, as well as across the various water intensity measures that were applied. Therefore, it is best to apply this full suite of indicators to each country to develop an integrated understanding of the intensity of water use for energy across countries.
ISSN:1748-9326
1748-9326
DOI:10.1088/1748-9326/9/10/105003