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Virtual water transfers of the US electric grid

Author

Listed:
  • Christopher M. Chini

    (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign)

  • Lucas A. Djehdian

    (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign)

  • William N. Lubega

    (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign)

  • Ashlynn S. Stillwell

    (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign)

Abstract

Water is consumed in the generation of electricity and then transmitted, virtually, across the electric grid, creating a network of water transfers. Virtual water transfers of electricity are an understudied area of the energy–water nexus, with important policy and conservation considerations. Here we analyse the virtual water flows of the US electric grid and the changes in network structure from 2010 to 2016 using electricity transfers between power control areas and power-plant-level water for electricity. Transfers of blue water were 9.21 km3 in 2010 and 11.21 km3 in 2016. Transfers of grey water were 50.18 km3 in 2010 compared to 71.64 km3 in 2016. The change in blue water transfers are despite national trends of lower freshwater demands of thermoelectric power generation. We provide a mapping of virtual water transfers through the US electric grid over time, including blue and grey water, and network analysis of the system.

Suggested Citation

  • Christopher M. Chini & Lucas A. Djehdian & William N. Lubega & Ashlynn S. Stillwell, 2018. "Virtual water transfers of the US electric grid," Nature Energy, Nature, vol. 3(12), pages 1115-1123, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natene:v:3:y:2018:i:12:d:10.1038_s41560-018-0266-1
    DOI: 10.1038/s41560-018-0266-1
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    Cited by:

    1. Yan, Xia & Jie, Wu & Minjun, Shi & Shouyang, Wang & Zhuoying, Zhang, 2022. "China's regional imbalance in electricity demand, power and water pricing - From the perspective of electricity-related virtual water transmission," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 257(C).
    2. 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).
    3. Zhang, Haoran & Li, Ruixiong & Cai, Xingrui & Zheng, Chaoyue & Liu, Laibao & Liu, Maodian & Zhang, Qianru & Lin, Huiming & Chen, Long & Wang, Xuejun, 2022. "Do electricity flows hamper regional economic–environmental equity?," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 326(C).
    4. Wang, Zhaohua & Zhang, Hongzhi & Li, Hao & Wang, Song & Wang, Zhenpo, 2023. "Identifying the key factors to China's unsustainable external circulation through the accounting of the flow of embodied energy and virtual water," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 173(C).
    5. Hubert Hirwa & Qiuying Zhang & Yunfeng Qiao & Yu Peng & Peifang Leng & Chao Tian & Sayidjakhon Khasanov & Fadong Li & Alphonse Kayiranga & Fabien Muhirwa & Auguste Cesar Itangishaka & Gabriel Habiyare, 2021. "Insights on Water and Climate Change in the Greater Horn of Africa: Connecting Virtual Water and Water-Energy-Food-Biodiversity-Health Nexus," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(11), pages 1-22, June.
    6. Zhu, Yongnan & Ke, Jing & Wang, Jianhua & Liu, He & Jiang, Shan & Blum, Helcio & Zhao, Yong & He, Guohua & Meng, Yuan & Su, Jian, 2020. "Water transfer and losses embodied in the West–East electricity transmission project in China," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 275(C).
    7. Emily Grubert, 2023. "Yellow, red, and brown energy: leveraging water footprinting concepts for decarbonizing energy systems," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 25(7), pages 7239-7260, July.
    8. Lu, Hongfang & Lin, Bin-Le & Campbell, Daniel E. & Wang, Yanjia & Duan, Wenqi & Han, Taotao & Wang, Jun & Ren, Hai, 2022. "Australia-Japan telecoupling of wind power-based green ammonia for passenger transportation: Efficiency, impacts, and sustainability," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 168(C).
    9. Xuebing Yao & Xu Tang & Arash Farnoosh & Cuiyang Feng, 2021. "Quantifying virtual water scarcity risk transfers of energy system in China," Environmental Economics and Policy Studies, Springer;Society for Environmental Economics and Policy Studies - SEEPS, vol. 23(4), pages 945-969, October.
    10. Logan, Lauren H. & Gupta, Rohini S. & Ando, Amy & Suski, Cory & Stillwell, Ashlynn S., 2021. "Quantifying tradeoffs between electricity generation and fish populations via population habitat duration curves," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 440(C).
    11. Li, Junjie & Yan, Yulong & Wang, Yirong & Zhang, Yifu & Shao, Lianwei & Li, Menggang, 2024. "Spatial-successive transfer of virtual scarcity water along China's coal-based electric chain," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 288(C).
    12. Yawen Han & Wanli Xing & Hongchang Hao & Xin Du & Chongyang Liu, 2022. "Interprovincial Metal and GHG Transfers Embodied in Electricity Transmission across China: Trends and Driving Factors," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(14), pages 1-19, July.
    13. Jin, Yi & Behrens, Paul & Tukker, Arnold & Scherer, Laura, 2019. "Water use of electricity technologies: A global meta-analysis," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 115(C).
    14. Yiyi Zhang & Shengren Hou & Jiefeng Liu & Hanbo Zheng & Jiaqi Wang & Chaohai Zhang, 2020. "Evolution of Virtual Water Transfers in China’s Provincial Grids and Its Driving Analysis," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(2), pages 1-19, January.
    15. 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).
    16. Ghosh, Bikramaditya & Gubareva, Mariya & Ghosh, Anandita & Paparas, Dimitrios & Vo, Xuan Vinh, 2024. "Food, energy, and water nexus: A study on interconnectedness and trade-offs," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 133(C).
    17. Jin, Yi & Scherer, Laura & Sutanudjaja, Edwin H. & Tukker, Arnold & Behrens, Paul, 2022. "Climate change and CCS increase the water vulnerability of China's thermoelectric power fleet," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 245(C).
    18. Jin, Yi & Behrens, Paul & Tukker, Arnold & Scherer, Laura, 2021. "The energy-water nexus of China’s interprovincial and seasonal electric power transmission," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 286(C).
    19. Hang Lei & Xin Zhang & Xinyi Han, 2023. "Exploring Virtual Water Network Dynamics of China’s Electricity Trade: Insights into the Energy–Water Nexus," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(22), pages 1-21, November.
    20. Oikonomou, Konstantinos & Tarroja, Brian & Kern, Jordan & Voisin, Nathalie, 2022. "Core process representation in power system operational models: Gaps, challenges, and opportunities for multisector dynamics research," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 238(PC).
    21. Zhang, Yiyi & Hou, Shengren & Chen, Shaoqing & Long, Huihui & Liu, Jiefeng & Wang, Jiaqi, 2021. "Tracking flows and network dynamics of virtual water in electricity transmission across China," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 137(C).
    22. Chini, Christopher M. & Stillwell, Ashlynn S., 2020. "The changing virtual water trade network of the European electric grid," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 260(C).

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