Fresh water consumption for world energy production is projected to double within the next 25 years

Published on by

30 January, 2013
Marianne Lavelle and Thomas K. Grose of National Geographic

"The amount of fresh water consumed for world energy production is on track to double within the next 25 years, the International Energy Agency (IEA) projects.

And even though fracking—high-pressure hydraulic fracturing of underground rock formations for natural gas and oil—might grab headlines, IEA sees its future impact as relatively small.

By far the largest strain on future water resources from the energy system, according to IEA's forecast, would be due to two lesser noted, but profound trends in the energy world: soaring coal-fired electricity, and the ramping up of biofuel production."

Full article:
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/energy/2013/01/130130-water-demand-for-energy-to-double-by-2035/

At the same time energy demand is strongly increasing. China for example burns nearly as much coal as all other nations combined, including coal shipped from the U.S.. (http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=chinas-soaring-coal-consumption-poses-climate-challenge)

Also, certain types of bioenergy have a large water footprint. This is a study that can be used to select the crops and countries that produce bioenergy in the most water-efficient way:
Gerbens-Leenes, W., Hoekstra, A.Y. and Van der Meer, T.H. (2009) The water footprint of bioenergy, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 106 (25): 10219-10223
http://www.waterfootprint.org/Reports/Gerbens-Hoekstra-VanderMeer-2009-WaterFootprint-Bioenergy.pdf


Which sustainable options/strategies/solutions are available?

4 Answers

  1. Recent work on the topic: Mekonnen, M.M., Gerbens-Leenes, P.W. and Hoekstra, A.Y. (2015) The consumptive water footprint of electricity and heat: A global assessment, Environmental Science: Water Research & Technology, 1(3): 285-297; available at: waterfootprint.org/media/downloads/Mekonnen-et-al-2015b.pdf

  2. Thank you very much for your comments. More information regarding the topic energy and freshwater can be accessed at: http://www.waterfootprint.org/?page=files/Water-energy Another point related to this is desalination, which requires energy. There one scarce resource (freshwater) is basically substituted by another scarce resource (energy).

  3. Don't forget that energy production requires highly purified water so as not to foul or corrode turbines, boilers, pipes or heat exchangers. Thus, the energy footprint is even higher.

  4. l'assainissement biologique avec le procédé "Fosse Biologique"lyseconcept est la soultion à la raréfaction de l'eau douce. la problèmatique de l'eau potable est intimement liée à la problèmatique du traitement des eaux usées sa principale source de polution. site internet: http://www.lyseconcept.fr