From the invention of the steam engine to the present, water has represented an important input for the energy system although it has been mostly ignored in the literature. The production of electrical power results in one of the largest uses of water worldwide. For example, it is estimated that ...
(Show more)From the invention of the steam engine to the present, water has represented an important input for the energy system although it has been mostly ignored in the literature. The production of electrical power results in one of the largest uses of water worldwide. For example, it is estimated that in 2005 in the US about 41 percent of freshwater withdrawals were dedicated to electric production from thermoelectric plants, mainly for cooling (Kenny et al., 2009). Likewise, in the year 2010, France withdrawn 22 km# of water for cooling purposes and 20 km# in the case of Germany (EUROSTAT, 2014). Moreover, about 80 percent of the world ?s electricity is generated in thermal power plants (IEA, 2013). In other words, 80 per cent of the world’s electricity generation would cease to exist in absence of water; if we add the percentage corresponding to hydropower, the number will be close to 95 per cent. Thus, we must start thinking of water as the most needed natural resource for electricity generation.
(Show less)