Thirsty Energy, Hungry Water: Balancing the Resource Equation
by Sonora Hill, Senior Portfolio Innovation Manager at Imagine H2O
Energy and water form a fundamental nexus in our modern world. These resources are inextricably connected to economic development, food production, and environmental sustainability. This intricate relationship, that could be compared to some symbiotic relationships, hinges on a delicate balance between consumption and production of both water and energy.
The energy sector guzzles water to generate electricity derived from fossil fuels and renewable energy. Meanwhile the water sector consumes a staggering amount of energy to store, treat and distribute water. There has been–and always will be–a need for both resources to be produced and consumed in harmony.
In the face of a warming world, this historically harmonious balance is at risk. It’s clear that the industry’s laser focus on the clean energy transition, combined with the current water crisis, has the potential to wreak havoc on the unique relationship between water and energy. Those of us working on climate issues must ask ourselves an important question. Can we reconcile how thirsty the energy sector is with how power-hungry the water sector is in the midst of a water crisis driven by climate change? My answer is yes: we just need to learn how to balance the resource equation.
Energy is a thirsty business
Electricity production, whether from fossil fuels or renewable energy sources demands vast amounts of water to generate steam for turbines, cool nuclear power plants, and more. In 2021 alone, the global energy system withdrew 370 billion cubic metres (bcm) of freshwater: roughly 10% of total global freshwater withdrawals. That’s enough water to support New York City for 267 years, and it’s only forecasted to increase. That’s a lot of water.
Fossil fuels are known to be water intensive, and in 2023, 60% of the electricity generation in the US relied on these thirsty giants. That’s a problem and a problem that climate innovators are tackling at a time when we need it most. Companies like Infinite Cooling are pioneering opportunities to reduce water usage in energy production by capturing water in cooling towers that would otherwise be lost to cooling tower plumes. Infinite Cooling's technology offers a critical stopgap, reducing the water footprint of energy production while we are still heavily reliant on fossil fuels.
Looking forward, with fewer fossil fuels being used in electricity generation, it seems logical that less water would be consumed for energy production. However, select renewable energy sources are actually some of the biggest water users out there. Cooling nuclear power plants, irrigating bioenergy crops and producing hydrogen through electrolysis requires immense amounts of water. Hydropower wouldn’t even exist without a consistent flow of water.
So what happens when the water that we rely on to generate electricity using renewable sources is at risk? Hydropower electricity production halts, and nuclear power plants (lacking the water to safely cool their reactors) are required to shut down. Energy suppliers are forced to replace the lost energy with sources that may be more expensive, less clean and more water intensive. Water may very well be the limiting factor in the total transition to renewable energy.
However, the landscape is shifting, and we are seeing that it is possible to strike a water-energy balance. Some renewable energy sources such as solar and wind are actually less water intensive than electricity derived from both fossil fuels and nuclear power. Companies are getting creative to harness the power of hydropower in the face of droughts and unpredictable water resources. Imagine H2O, a global non-profit water accelerator program, supports companies like Emrgy and Natel Energy which have designed low-cost turbines that can be deployed throughout water delivery systems such as canals and channels. This approach keeps power flowing even when reservoir levels dwindle, providing a crucial renewable energy source even during dry times.
California successfully maintained the fine balance between energy production and water resource availability in March and April of this year. For 30 days in a 38-day stretch, California supplied 100% of its energy demand with renewable energy, including wind, solar, geothermal and hydropower for up to 6 hours each day. This accomplishment came during an El Nino year, in which the accumulated rainfall in California for the 2023/2024 water year to date was at 104% of average.
Though undeniably impressive, this milestone was built on the foundation of sufficient water resources – a foundation that is not guaranteed in future years. As more states embrace the clean energy transition, it’s becoming increasingly clear that water is the unsuspected variable in balancing the resource equation.The pathway to lowering global emissions depends on striking the balance between deploying low emission and low water intensive solutions.
Water is very power-hungry
Water, similar to its symbiotic counterpart (energy), consumes energy at a staggering rate, contributing up to 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Energy is required to both treat wastewater into drinking water, and then to transport both wastewater and freshwater through vast networks of pipes.
The journey from source to tap is surprisingly energy-intensive. Pumping water through miles of pipes to treatment plants and end users requires an immense amount of energy. This burden is compounded by leaks – a silent thief that steals both water and energy. Experts estimate that globally, up to 34% of water is lost during distribution – an avoidable waste fueled by leaky pipes and other non-revenue water challenges.
This seemingly low hanging fruit has not gone unnoticed. Utilities are bringing both capital and operating dollars to address this challenge, and leak detection solutions are abundant and well poised to solve this problem. ASTERRA, a startup that harnesses the power of satellites to detect leaks from space, has saved over 1,000,000 MWH of energy through its leak detection technology. That’s equivalent to the amount of energy produced by one nuclear power plant running continuously for six months; a significant step in the sustainable management of both energy and water.
Perhaps the hungriest of all, desalination consumes a colossal amount of energy to generate drinking water from ocean water. Removing salts and other minerals from water is highly energy intensive and makes broad adoption of desalination technologies prohibitive due to cost. However, as droughts become more commonplace, desalination is being forced into center stage as communities struggle to find resilient water sources.
To revolutionize the desalination dilemma, the National Alliance for Water Innovation (NAWI) has secured over $100 million since 2019 from the US Department of Energy (check out this MCJ podcast with NAWI’s Executive Director, Peter Fiske). Through public-private partnerships with over 180 organizations, NAWI has become a major force behind the development of cost-effective, energy-efficient, and low-emission desalination technologies, turning this once-unwieldy solution into a viable option for water security.
The Balance Must Exist
The intricate balance between energy and water is undeniable. While the clean energy transition hinges on responsible water usage, the impact of climate change on this delicate balance remains uncertain. As we move forward, the question remains, what will tip the scales towards a sustainable future and what will break the balance when the energy transition collides with a water crisis?
🍿 The Lean Back
Learn how big tech is betting on nature-based carbon solutions in this week’s MCJ podcast.
🎙️ MCJ Podcast
🌱 Join Cody as he chats with Julia Strong, Executive Director of the Symbiosis Coalition, backed by Google, Meta, Microsoft, and Salesforce. They discuss the coalition’s mission to purchase 20 million tons of nature-based carbon removals, tackle challenges in the forestry credit space, and explore the future of carbon markets. Tune in to learn how this collaboration could reshape the industry. Listen to the episode here.
Houston Energy & Climate Startup Week
We’re thrilled to join the Houston ecosystem for not one, but TWO live MCJ podcast events at the Ion. Check out details below & RSVP to save a spot. See you in Houston!
🔋 MCJ Startup Series: Zach Dell, Base Power Company: Cody and Zach will cover Base's product, distributed battery storage, the aging grid and backup power in Texas at large. The conversation will be followed by a networking happy hour with snacks and refreshments. RSVP here. (Tues, Sept 10 at 3pm CDT)
⚡️ A Conversation with Oxy CEO, Vicki Hollub: Cody and Vicki Hollub will explore how Oxy is navigating the energy transition and what the future holds for industry giants. This is your chance to gain insights directly from one of the industry's leading voices. Plus, stick around for a networking happy hour afterward. RSVP here. (Weds, Sept 11 at 1:30pm CDT)
👩💻 Climate Jobs
For more open positions, check out the #j-climatejobs channel in MCJ Slack as well as our MCJ Job Board.
Director, Accounting at Air Company (Brooklyn, New York)
Electrical Engineer at Charm Industrial (Fort Lupton, CO)
Senior Mechanical Engineer at Clean Crop (Holyoke, MA)
Electrical Engineer at Crusoe (Tulsa, OK)
Geospatial Data Engineer at Floodbase (Remote)
Global Supply Manager at Heirloom (Brisbane, CA)
Senior Product Designer at LevelTen Energy (Seattle, WA)
Senior Manager of Interior Systems at Lightship (San Francisco, CA)
Mechanical Engineer at Noya (Oakland, CA)
Market Development Strategy Analyst at Weave Grid (San Francisco, CA)
🗓 Events
Click the event title for details & RSVP info. For more climate events, check out the #c-events channel in MCJ Slack.
💸 MCJ + Climate People Climate Career Advancement Meetup: TODAY! In this workshop, you will learn how to negotiate an offer intelligently and get paid your worth. You will walk away knowing how to research comp plans, what to ask for, how to ask for it, when to ask for it, and who to ask. We will also provide negotiation scripts with a 97% conversion rate. This process and these scripts have helped CareerSprout clients increase their salaries by $53k+ in 2024. (Aug 14)
📚 MCJ Book Club: Five Times Faster by Simon Sharpe: Simon Sharpe is Director of Economics for the Climate Champions Team and a Senior Fellow at the World Resources Institute. We'll discuss the ideas proposed in the book. (Aug 24)
The MCJ Collective Newsletter is a free weekly email curating news, jobs, My Climate Journey podcast episodes, and other noteworthy happenings in the MCJ member community.
💭 If you have feedback or items you’d like to include, feel free to reach out.
🤝 If you’d like to become an MCJ community member, apply today.
💡 Have a climate-related event or content topic that you'd like to see in the MCJ newsletter? Email us at content@mcjcollective.com
Pardon me. I forget the ridiculous water demanding practices of certain industries like data storage and computer hardware parts manufacturing be located where the resource is not scares.
Professional management of our existing freshwater sources is an absolute before any other technology or practice is implemented. Over 70% of the water west of the plan goes to agriculture. Almost half of that to the production of cows milk. Growing alfalfa. Asinine. Grow food where it rains!
Mandate and educate zero water exterior designs on all private property in municipalities receiving 22 inches of rain or less.
Get serious about our waste disposal system and educate the public concerning how to do it correctly.
We take two valuable resources, the waste and water and essentially throw them away. Making them quite toxic when introduced back into the environment. It certainly doesn't have to be that way.
Simply put, we need to implement correct and best policy practice. I'd really don't understand how that's such a terrible thing.