The Impressive Water Savings from Switching to Renewable Energy Sources

CLEAN ENERGY, WATER MARCH 4,, 2024

Generating electricity requires a huge amount of water. We use fresh water to mine and burn coal, frack and pump natural gas, and cool nuclear plants. Switching to solar and wind energy could eliminate the majority of freshwater withdrawals required for electricity generation.

In 2023, about 80 percent of electricity in the US was generated by thermoelectric power plants that use coal, oil, natural gas and nuclear fuels to boil water for steam to turn turbines that generate electricity. In 2015, thermal power plant cooling in the U.S. withdrew 40 percent of all fresh water in the U.S. Fracking in the U.S. has extracted nearly 1.5 trillion gallons of water from underground aquifers since 2011. The electric power sector in the United States used 47.5 trillion gallons of water in 2020.

Fresh water is a precious and ever more scarce resource. Only 3% of the world’s water is fresh water and just 1.2% can be accessed for drinking water. Water supplies are dwindling because of climate change-driven drought and heat waves. A recent report found that the global demand for fresh water will exceed supply 40% by 2030.

In contrast, electricity generated by renewable sources, like solar and wind energy, requires virtually no water.

Source: Food and Water Watch

Reducing our dependence on electricity generated by thermoelectric power plants will not only reduce greenhouse gas emissions, it will conserve water. The good news is water use for cooling in energy production is starting to decline with the shift to more renewable energy generation and technology that reduces water use intensity in thermal plants. Water use for cooling in the U.S. was down 10.5% from 53.1 trillion gallons in 2019 to 47.5 trillion gallons in 2020.

In addition to shifting more power plants from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources, installing rooftop solar panels also impacts the water supply. Converting a home to rooftop solar power reduces reliance on the grid and power generated by fossil fuels. A recent Duke University study found that an average household with rooftop solar power can save an average 16,200 gallons of water per year. In California, this saving can increase to 53,000 gallons or 60 percent of the average household water use in the U.S.

Speeding the transition to more solar and wind power is critical to preserve our dwindling water supplies. Changing the way we think about water and energy can secure the long-term sustainability of both precious resources.

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