Solar Thermal & Coal-Fired Power Plants:Consequences for the Western US and Colorado
River Basin
K. Averyt, B. Udall, D. KenneyCU-NOAA Western Water Assessment
325 Broadway Boulder, CO [email protected]
Colorado River BasinColorado River Basin
GEOLOGY
WATER
SOLAR
USGS
Colorado River Basin: Demand ComplicationsColorado River Basin: Demand Complications
Regions in the West where water supply conflicts are likely to
occur by 2025
• Population growth• Endangered species
USP, 2009
Trout Unlimited
Colorado River Basin: Supply ComplicationsColorado River Basin: Supply ComplicationsWater will be the delivery mechanism for many of the
impacts of climate change...
USP, 2009
Colorado River Basin: Supply ComplicationsColorado River Basin: Supply ComplicationsNumber of Days Over 100Number of Days Over 100ºFºF
Recent Past, 1961-1979
Higher Emissions Scenario, 2080-2099
Projected Change in Spring Precipitation2080–2099
Declines in flow of 10% to 40% in
CRB by 2050
USP, 2009
Colorado River BasinColorado River BasinGOAL: Layout cross-sectoral
impacts of particular decision making pathways
Compare water consumption of current and proposed coal-fired and solar-thermal power plants
Water for EnergyWater for Energy
Identified coal-fired & solar-thermal power plants in operation or planned that would likely be drawing water from the CO River Basin
• Still reconciling water sources for these plants, but analysis still relevant
CRWCD
Coal-Fired Power PlantsCoal-Fired Power Plants
Navajo Generating Station 2250
Springerville Generating Station 1178
Cholla Power Plant 995
Coronado Generating Station 773
Apache 408
H Wilson Sundt Generating Station
425
Craig Station 1264
Hayden Generating Station 446
Nucla Station 100
Cameo Power Plant 66
Arapahoe 144
Cherokee 710
Comanche 700
Martin Drake 281
Rawhide 270
Ray D Nixon 225
Valmont 166
WN Clark 38
Springerville 4 400
Comanche 3 750
Desert Rock 1500
White Pine Power Plant 1590
Toquop 750
Newmont 210
Ely Energy Center 1500
Green River 500
Sigurd Power Plant 270
Bonanza 110
Hunter 400
Four Corners Power Plant 2269
San Juan Generating Station 1848
Escalante 257
Reid Gardner Power Plant
605
Hunter Power Plant 1472
Huntington Power Plant
944
Bonanza Plant 460
Carbon Power Plant 190
Intermountain Power Project 1640
Naughton 707
Jim Bridger 2312
CURRENT PROPOSED
23,000 MW
8,000 MW
Solar Thermal Power PlantsSolar Thermal Power Plants
CURRENT PROPOSEDNevada Solar 1 64
Solar Energy Generating Systems 354
Kimberlina Solar Thermal Energy Plant 5
Saguaro Solar Power Station 1
Hualapai Valley Solar Project 340
Starwood Solar I 280
Solana Generating Station (Abengoa Solar)
280
Unnamed Kingman solar project
200
Mojave Solar Park 553
SES Solar One 850
SES Solar Two 750
Fort Irwin 500
Genesis Solar Energy Project
250
(Solar Millenium) Ridgecrest Solar Power Project
250
Beacon Solar Energy Project 250
(Solar Millenium) Palen Solar Power Project
500
(Solar Millenium) Blythe Solar Power Project
1000
Mojave Solar Project (Abengoa)
250
Carizzo Energy Solar Farm 177
Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System
440
San Joaquin Solar 1-2 107
Alpine SunTower 92
eSolar 1 84
eSolar 2 66
City of Palmdale Hybrid Power Project
62
Unnamed 59
Victorville Hybrid Power Project
50
SunTower 92
Amargosa Solar Power Project
250
400 MW
7,700 MW
Energy DevelopmentEnergy Development
Proposed
Current
Proposed projects have similar total capacity
0 5 10 15 20 25Capacity (GW)
Coal-FiredSolar Thermal
7700 MW7700 MW
8000 MW8000 MW
Water for EnergyWater for Energy
Water for EnergyWater for EnergySolar-Thermal Coal-Fired
wet-cooling (recirculating)
air-cooling
hybrid/ parallel
parabolic troughs 3.028 0.295 0.378 to
0.946
linear Fresnal 3.785 no data no data
power tower 1.893 to 2.839 0.341 0.341 to
2.839
Stirling Engine
na 0.076 na
Withdrawal (m3/MWh)
Withdrawal (m3/MWh)
Consumptive (m3/MWh)
Consumptive (m3/MWh)
Low High Low High
Conventional Pulverized Combustion - Once-Through Cooling
76.086 189.834 1.761 1.980
Conventional Pulverized Combustion - Direct Dry Cooling
0.481 0.811 0.716 1.052
Conventional Pulverized Combustion - Indirect Dry Cooling
0.481 0.811 0.719 1.053
Conventional Pulverized Combustion - Hybrid Wet-Dry Cooling
0.481 0.811 0.719 1.053
Conventional Pulverized Combustion - Pond Cooling
80.931 196.265 6.605 7.505
Conventional Pulverized Combustion - Wet Cooling 4.095 4.744 4.334 4.553Gasification - Once-Through Cooling
49.534 123.640 1.219 1.396
Gasification - Direct Dry Cooling 0.390 0.774 0.540 0.793
Gasification - Indirect Dry Cooling 0.390 0.774 0.542 0.793
Gasification - Hybrid Wet-Dry Cooling
0.575 2.989 0.717 2.823
Gasification - Cooling Pond 1.067 2.103 1.219 1.838
Gasification - Wet Cooling 2.625 3.419 2.777 3.450
Water withdrawals and consumption
depend on the technology &
particularly cooling method
Adapted from Wilkinson et al., pers com.
Water for EnergyWater for Energy
For each online and proposed project:
•Identify relevant technologies & nameplate capacity
•Assume 80% operation
•Identified process technology using suite of resources; where unavailable assumed evaporative cooling
Station Reported (thousand acre-ft)
Estimated(thousand acre-ft)
Navajo 28 23–25
Arapahoe 1.6 3.5–3.7
Cherokee 8 17–18
Water ConsumedCurrently Online Coal-Fired Power Plants
Self-reported data close to estimates; exceptions are plants where received
data from Excel
Water for EnergyWater for Energy
Station Current/Projected (thousand acre-ft)
Estimated(thousand acre-ft)
Genesis Project 1.6 1.8
Arapahoe 0.15 0.18
Nevada Solar One 0.40 0.47
Water ConsumedCurrent & Proposed Solar Power Plants
For each online and proposed project:
•Identify relevant technologies & nameplate capacity
•Assume 300 days, 10 hours per day (solar thermal)
•Identified process technology using suite of resources; where unavailable assume evaporative cooling Self-reported data and projections close
to estimates
Water for EnergyWater for Energy
Water Consumed (thousand acre-ft per year)
Coal-Fired Solar ThermalCurrently
Operational574 674 0 3
Proposed 196 206 30.3 31.1
TOTAL 770 880 30.3 34.3
Most proposed solar thermal plants indicate water will be withdrawn from groundwater.
Data compiled from DOE, EIA, power plant permitting applications
Water for EnergyWater for EnergyWater Consumed (thousand acre-ft) for coal
extraction in Colorado in 2006
Water use for coal extraction: 25 to over 100 thousand acre-ft each year
Annual GHG EmissionsAnnual GHG Emissions
1850: total emissions were 200 million tons per year
Data compiled using emissions from http://carma.org/
CO2 Emissions (millions tons) per year
Coal-Fired Solar ThermalCurrently
Operational181.5 0
Proposed 55.5 0
TOTAL 236.9 0
Further Work...LOTS!Further Work...LOTS!
• Reconcile estimates with reported data
• Groundwater and Surface Water Connections
• public lands and private lands