IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/appene/v226y2018icp49-60.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Assessing future water resource constraints on thermally based renewable energy resources in California

Author

Listed:
  • Tarroja, Brian
  • Chiang, Felicia
  • AghaKouchak, Amir
  • Samuelsen, Scott

Abstract

In this study, we investigate the extent to which physical water resource availability constraints can limit the deployment of solar thermal and geothermal-based energy resources under future climate scenarios in California. This is accomplished by (1) calculating the water unconstrained potential capacity for solar thermal and geothermal power plants, (2) estimating the available water supply for supporting the water needs of these plants using four climate model simulations under representative concentration pathway (RCP) 8.5, and (3) determining the supportable capacity from the available water supply based on power plant cooling type. We show that regional water availability can limit the installable capacity of solar thermal resources to a range of 10.9–52.6% of solar thermal potential and geothermal resources to between 17.9% and 100% of geothermal potential, depending on cooling system and regional water demand levels by the year 2050. The limiting factor for installable capacity was driven by whether the locations of solar thermal and geothermal resources were spatially aligned with precipitation patterns, with cooling system type acting as a secondary factor. In regions with high solar thermal and geothermal potential, reducing water demand from other sectors was important for alleviating the water constraints on solar thermal and geothermal capacity and increasing total resource potential. Water conservation policies can therefore support the deployment of renewable energy resources and should be considered in future water and energy resource planning.

Suggested Citation

  • Tarroja, Brian & Chiang, Felicia & AghaKouchak, Amir & Samuelsen, Scott, 2018. "Assessing future water resource constraints on thermally based renewable energy resources in California," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 226(C), pages 49-60.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:appene:v:226:y:2018:i:c:p:49-60
    DOI: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2018.05.105
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306261918308213
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.apenergy.2018.05.105?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Harvey, Mark & Pilgrim, Sarah, 2011. "The new competition for land: Food, energy, and climate change," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 36(S1), pages 40-51.
    2. Arent, Doug & Pless, Jacquelyn & Mai, Trieu & Wiser, Ryan & Hand, Maureen & Baldwin, Sam & Heath, Garvin & Macknick, Jordan & Bazilian, Morgan & Schlosser, Adam & Denholm, Paul, 2014. "Implications of high renewable electricity penetration in the U.S. for water use, greenhouse gas emissions, land-use, and materials supply," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 123(C), pages 368-377.
    3. DeNooyer, Tyler A. & Peschel, Joshua M. & Zhang, Zhenxing & Stillwell, Ashlynn S., 2016. "Integrating water resources and power generation: The energy–water nexus in Illinois," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 162(C), pages 363-371.
    4. Khan, Zarrar & Linares, Pedro & Rutten, Martine & Parkinson, Simon & Johnson, Nils & García-González, Javier, 2018. "Spatial and temporal synchronization of water and energy systems: Towards a single integrated optimization model for long-term resource planning," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 210(C), pages 499-517.
    5. Gjorgiev, Blaže & Sansavini, Giovanni, 2018. "Electrical power generation under policy constrained water-energy nexus," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 210(C), pages 568-579.
    6. Dai, Jiangyu & Wu, Shiqiang & Han, Guoyi & Weinberg, Josh & Xie, Xinghua & Wu, Xiufeng & Song, Xingqiang & Jia, Benyou & Xue, Wanyun & Yang, Qianqian, 2018. "Water-energy nexus: A review of methods and tools for macro-assessment," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 210(C), pages 393-408.
    7. Spandagos, Constantinos & Ng, Tze Ling, 2017. "Equivalent full-load hours for assessing climate change impact on building cooling and heating energy consumption in large Asian cities," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 189(C), pages 352-368.
    8. Harvey, Mark & Pilgrim, Sarah, 2011. "The new competition for land: Food, energy, and climate change," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 36(Supplemen), pages 40-51, January.
    9. Tarroja, Brian & Zhang, Li & Wifvat, Van & Shaffer, Brendan & Samuelsen, Scott, 2016. "Assessing the stationary energy storage equivalency of vehicle-to-grid charging battery electric vehicles," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 106(C), pages 673-690.
    10. Tarroja, Brian & AghaKouchak, Amir & Samuelsen, Scott, 2016. "Quantifying climate change impacts on hydropower generation and implications on electric grid greenhouse gas emissions and operation," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 111(C), pages 295-305.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Voisin, Nathalie & Dyreson, Ana & Fu, Tao & O'Connell, Matt & Turner, Sean W.D. & Zhou, Tian & Macknick, Jordan, 2020. "Impact of climate change on water availability and its propagation through the Western U.S. power grid," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 276(C).
    2. Zhong, Ruida & Zhao, Tongtiegang & He, Yanhu & Chen, Xiaohong, 2019. "Hydropower change of the water tower of Asia in 21st century: A case of the Lancang River hydropower base, upper Mekong," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 179(C), pages 685-696.
    3. Ali Ahmadalipour & Hamid Moradkhani & Mukesh Kumar, 2019. "Mortality risk from heat stress expected to hit poorest nations the hardest," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 152(3), pages 569-579, March.
    4. Tarroja, Brian & Peer, Rebecca A.M. & Sanders, Kelly T. & Grubert, Emily, 2020. "How do non-carbon priorities affect zero-carbon electricity systems? A case study of freshwater consumption and cost for Senate Bill 100 compliance in California," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 265(C).
    5. Lu, Shibao & Jiang, Yue & Deng, Weisheng & Meng, Xu, 2023. "Energy and food production security under water resources regulation in the context of green development," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 80(C).
    6. Esmaeil Ahmadi & Benjamin McLellan & Behnam Mohammadi-Ivatloo & Tetsuo Tezuka, 2020. "The Role of Renewable Energy Resources in Sustainability of Water Desalination as a Potential Fresh-Water Source: An Updated Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(13), pages 1-31, June.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Tarroja, Brian & Chiang, Felicia & AghaKouchak, Amir & Samuelsen, Scott & Raghavan, Shuba V. & Wei, Max & Sun, Kaiyu & Hong, Tianzhen, 2018. "Translating climate change and heating system electrification impacts on building energy use to future greenhouse gas emissions and electric grid capacity requirements in California," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 225(C), pages 522-534.
    2. Ding, Tao & Liang, Liang & Zhou, Kaile & Yang, Min & Wei, Yuqi, 2020. "Water-energy nexus: The origin, development and prospect," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 419(C).
    3. Obringer, R. & Kumar, R. & Nateghi, R., 2019. "Analyzing the climate sensitivity of the coupled water-electricity demand nexus in the Midwestern United States," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 252(C), pages 1-1.
    4. Wang, Wei & Jing, Rui & Zhao, Yingru & Zhang, Chuan & Wang, Xiaonan, 2020. "A load-complementarity combined flexible clustering approach for large-scale urban energy-water nexus optimization," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 270(C).
    5. Hao Li & Yuhuan Zhao & Jiang Lin, 2020. "A review of the energy–carbon–water nexus: Concepts, research focuses, mechanisms, and methodologies," Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Energy and Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 9(1), January.
    6. Lv, J. & Li, Y.P. & Shan, B.G. & Jin, S.W. & Suo, C., 2018. "Planning energy-water nexus system under multiple uncertainties – A case study of Hebei province," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 229(C), pages 389-403.
    7. Iriarte, Alfredo & Rieradevall, Joan & Gabarrell, Xavier, 2012. "Transition towards a more environmentally sustainable biodiesel in South America: The case of Chile," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 91(1), pages 263-273.
    8. Zhou, Yuanchun & Ma, Mengdie & Gao, Peiqi & Xu, Qiming & Bi, Jun & Naren, Tuya, 2019. "Managing water resources from the energy - water nexus perspective under a changing climate: A case study of Jiangsu province, China," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 126(C), pages 380-390.
    9. Vik, Jostein, 2020. "The agricultural policy trilemma: On the wicked nature of agricultural policy making," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 99(C).
    10. Mercure, J.-F. & Paim, M.A. & Bocquillon, P. & Lindner, S. & Salas, P. & Martinelli, P. & Berchin, I.I. & de Andrade Guerra, J.B.S.O & Derani, C. & de Albuquerque Junior, C.L. & Ribeiro, J.M.P. & Knob, 2019. "System complexity and policy integration challenges: The Brazilian Energy- Water-Food Nexus," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 105(C), pages 230-243.
    11. Ozgul Calicioglu & Alessandro Flammini & Stefania Bracco & Lorenzo Bellù & Ralph Sims, 2019. "The Future Challenges of Food and Agriculture: An Integrated Analysis of Trends and Solutions," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(1), pages 1-21, January.
    12. Ciliberti, Carlo & Jordaan, Sarah M. & Smith, Stephen V. & Spatari, Sabrina, 2016. "A life cycle perspective on land use and project economics of electricity from wind and anaerobic digestion," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 89(C), pages 52-63.
    13. Cao, Yan & Doustgani, Amir & Salehi, Abozar & Nemati, Mohammad & Ghasemi, Amir & Koohshekan, Omid, 2020. "The economic evaluation of establishing a plant for producing biodiesel from edible oil wastes in oil-rich countries: Case study Iran," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 213(C).
    14. Emmann, Carsten H. & Schaper, Christian & Theuvsen, Ludwig, 2012. "Der Markt für Bioenergie 2012," German Journal of Agricultural Economics, Humboldt-Universitaet zu Berlin, Department for Agricultural Economics, vol. 61(Supplemen), pages 1-20, February.
    15. Emmann, Carsten H. & Schaper, Christian & Theuvsen, Ludwig, 2011. "Der Markt für Bioenergie 2012," Journal of International Agricultural Trade and Development, Journal of International Agricultural Trade and Development, vol. 61.
    16. Thaler, S. & Zessner, M. & Weigl, M. & Rechberger, H. & Schilling, K. & Kroiss, H., 2015. "Possible implications of dietary changes on nutrient fluxes, environment and land use in Austria," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 136(C), pages 14-29.
    17. Cano-Rodríguez, Sara & Rubio-Varas, Mar & Sesma-Martín, Diego, 2022. "At the crossroad between green and thirsty: Carbon emissions and water consumption of Spanish thermoelectricity generation, 1969–2019," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 195(C).
    18. Tiffany L. Fess & James B. Kotcon & Vagner A. Benedito, 2011. "Crop Breeding for Low Input Agriculture: A Sustainable Response to Feed a Growing World Population," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 3(10), pages 1-31, October.
    19. de Jong, Sierk & Hoefnagels, Ric & Wetterlund, Elisabeth & Pettersson, Karin & Faaij, André & Junginger, Martin, 2017. "Cost optimization of biofuel production – The impact of scale, integration, transport and supply chain configurations," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 195(C), pages 1055-1070.
    20. Zhao, Yuhuan & Shi, Qiaoling & li, Hao & Qian, Zhiling & Zheng, Lu & Wang, Song & He, Yizhang, 2022. "Simulating the economic and environmental effects of integrated policies in energy-carbon-water nexus of China," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 238(PA).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:appene:v:226:y:2018:i:c:p:49-60. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/405891/description#description .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.