Collision Between Water and Energy Is Underway, and Worsening

By EmmaZahn on Thu, 07/18/2013 - 6:15pm |

When a heat wave spread across the Midwest in the summer of 2012, the Powerton coal plant in central Illinois had to temporarily shut down a generator when its water supply became too warm to effectively cool the plant.

Although 2012 was a year of severe drought in the U.S., the problems seen at various coal, nuclear, and hydropower facilities last summer are only likely to increase in coming years unless the power sector quickly changes its way of doing business, according to a new study from the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) [PDF]. The problem is that the power sector is not known for moving quickly.

URL:

http://spectrum.ieee.org/energywise/energy/fossil-fuels/collision-between-water-and-energy-is-underway-and-worsening