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DOI | 10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2014.01.005 |
Electricity generation and cooling water use: UK pathways to 2050 | |
Byers E.A.; Hall J.W.; Amezaga J.M. | |
发表日期 | 2014 |
ISSN | 0959-3780 |
卷号 | 25期号:1 |
英文摘要 | Thermoelectric generation contributes to 80% of global electricity production. Cooling of thermoelectric plants is often achieved by water abstractions from the natural environment. In England and Wales, the electricity sector is responsible for approximately half of all water abstractions and 40% of non-tidal surface water abstractions. We present a model that quantifies current water use of the UK electricity sector and use it to test six decarbonisation pathways to 2050. The pathways consist of a variety of generation technologies, with associated cooling methods, water use factors and cooling water sources. We find that up to 2030, water use across the six pathways is fairly consistent and all achieve significant reductions in both carbon and water intensity, based upon a transition to closed loop and hybrid cooling systems. From 2030 to 2050 our results diverge. Pathways with high levels of carbon capture and storage result in freshwater consumption that exceeds current levels (37-107%), and a consumptive intensity that is 30-69% higher. Risks to the aquatic environment will be intensified if generation with carbon capture and storage is clustered. Pathways of high nuclear capacity result in tidal and coastal abstraction that exceed current levels by 148-399%. Whilst reducing freshwater abstractions, the marine environment will be impacted if a shortage of coastal sites leads to clustering of nuclear reactors and concentration of heated water discharges. The pathway with the highest level of renewables has both lowest abstraction and consumption of water. Freshwater consumption can also be minimised through use of hybrid cooling, which despite marginally higher costs and emissions, would reduce dependence on scarce water resources thus increase security of supply. © 2014 The Authors. |
英文关键词 | Cooling water; Electricity generation; Energy policy; Pathways; Water-energy nexus |
语种 | 英语 |
来源期刊 | Global Environmental Change |
文献类型 | 期刊论文 |
条目标识符 | http://gcip.llas.ac.cn/handle/2XKMVOVA/117793 |
作者单位 | Centre for Earth Systems Engineering Research, School of Civil Engineering and Geosciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7RU, United Kingdom; Environmental Change Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QY, United Kingdom |
推荐引用方式 GB/T 7714 | Byers E.A.,Hall J.W.,Amezaga J.M.. Electricity generation and cooling water use: UK pathways to 2050[J],2014,25(1). |
APA | Byers E.A.,Hall J.W.,&Amezaga J.M..(2014).Electricity generation and cooling water use: UK pathways to 2050.Global Environmental Change,25(1). |
MLA | Byers E.A.,et al."Electricity generation and cooling water use: UK pathways to 2050".Global Environmental Change 25.1(2014). |
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