California Energy Commission Drought Impacts on Electricity Generation Joint Workshop on...
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Transcript of California Energy Commission Drought Impacts on Electricity Generation Joint Workshop on...
California Energy Commission
Drought Impacts on Electricity Generation
Joint Workshop on California’s Drought Response
Sylvia Bender, Deputy Director
Energy Assessments Division
August 28, 2015
[email protected]/916-653-6841
California Energy Commission
Topics to be Covered
• Monitoring and tracking drought impacts from water curtailments and loss of water supplies– Hydroelectric generation– 100 thermal power plants
• On track to reduce water consumption and increase efficiency of thermal plants
California Energy Commission
Hydroelectric Generation Declining as Portion of In-State Generation
California Energy Commission
Thermal Generation and Water Issues
• Thermal power plants require some amount of water, even dry cooled units
• Monitor thermal generation vulnerabilities to water supply shortages during drought
• Tracking 30,000 MW out of California’s 78,000 installed generation capacity – 100 plants> 75 MW– Energy Commission jurisdictional plants (78) and most large natural
gas-fired base load plants
• Surface water curtailments and dropping groundwater levels can impact plants
California Energy Commission
California Energy Commission
California Power Plants Depend on a Diversity of Water Sources
• Among these 100 plants being tracked:– Surface water use spread across 17 water
districts, no one more than 8% of total– Groundwater spread across 13 groundwater
basins• Only 2 thermal plants in a subsidence basin
– Recycled water considered most drought resistant supply
California Energy Commission
Recycled Water Serves the Largest Portion of Tracked Plants
California Energy Commission
Largest Share of Generation Capacity Being Tracked uses Recycled Water
California Energy Commission
Recycled Water is Largest Share of Water Supply at Tracked Plants
California Energy Commission
Thermal Power Plants on Track to Reduce Water Consumption /Increase Efficiency
• Energy Commission 2003 Water Policy
• Increase use of recycled water and dry cooling
– 85% of new 9,000 MW combined cycle projects built since then rely on recycled water or dry cooling
• Thermal efficiency increasing each year over last decade
• Greater use of dry cooled and recycled water plants could achieve additional potable water savings
• Further analysis of water use intensity at power plants underway