Thermoelectric plants include coal, nuclear, oil, and natural gas.
Using a new approach in computational modeling, Ganguly and his colleagues found that by the 2030s, about 27 percent of America’s power production will be severely impacted by future droughts and warmer, scarcer water.
What does an impact in power production due to water stress look like to the average consumer?
The stress on power generation may be especially severe when power is also most in demand. For example, in drought conditions when water is scarcer and warmer, there may be an increase in the need for air conditioning—which further stresses power production. A rise in utility bills may be the direct and immediate result.
Outages, both planned and unplanned, are likely, which may in turn impact other lifeline sectors such as transportation and water distribution or wastewater, as well as communication and cyber infrastructures.
Water stress in the context of power production includes measures of water scarcity combined with warmer waters. Water above certain temperatures may be less useful for cooling and would likely reduce the efficiency of the power generation process.