Thinktank says technologies reliant on water could be hampered by droughts – and production is faltering already
Suzanne Goldenberg, US environment correspondent
guardian.co.uk, Monday 27 June 2011 18.38 BST
The development of new renewable energy technologies and other expanding sources of energy such as shale gas will be limited by the availability of water in some regions of the world, according to research by a US thinktank.
The study shows the reliance on large amounts of water to create biofuels and run solar thermal energy and hydraulic fracturing – a technique for extracting gas from unconventional geological formations underground – means droughts could hamper their deployment.
"Water consumption is going up dramatically. We are introducing all kinds of technology to reduce the carbon impact of energy, without doing anything to reduce its impact on water," Michele Wucker, co-author of the report, told a seminar at the New America Foundation, a thinktank in Washington.
The study, estimating the water consumption of conventional and renewable energy, found even so-called clean energy solutions use vast amounts of water.
Hydroelectricity far outstrips other forms of energy in its use of water, requiring 4,500 gallons to produce a single megawatt hour of electricity – or about the amount needed to run a flat-screen TV for a year. Geothermal energy uses 1,400 gallons per MW/h.
Corn-based ethanol uses a lot of water to irrigate crops, as do nuclear plants which rely on water for cooling systems. Even some renewable energy sources – such as solar farms – are water hogs because they rely on water for cooling.
Solar thermal farms use five times as much water as nuclear power plants, energy consultant Diana Glassman told the seminar. In contrast, photovoltaic solar cells, which convert energy from the sun into electricity, use minimal amounts of water.
Meanwhile, the US drought is forcing energy companies to scale back plans for deploying new techniques in hydraulic fracturing ("fracking") for oil and gas extraction. Not long ago, energy companies were hoping to increase production in Texas by 50% over the next five years.
Unlike in Pennsylvania, where the chemicals used in natural gas drilling have contaminated drinking supplies, the problems in Texas are a matter of water quantity, not water quality.
"The drought and declining water tables are going to have an increasing impact on oil and gas production in Texas," Glassman said.
It takes up to 13m gallons of water to open up a single well in the Eagle Ford shale region in south Texas, where water is in perennially short supply. Such demands are going to block development of areas in south and west Texas, which are suffering water shortages.
"As hydraulic fracking spreads into more arid environments, water availability will increasingly become a problem. Over time it's going to be a growth constraint on oil production in parts of West Texas," said Glassman.
Tuesday, 28 June 2011
Nicolas Sarkozy makes €1bn commitment to nuclear power
French president says post-Fukushima abandonment of nuclear 'makes no sense' as he announces push for new technology
Kim Willsher in Paris
guardian.co.uk, Monday 27 June 2011 13.53 BST
The French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, has bucked the anti-nuclear trend following Japan's Fukushima disaster by pledging €1bn of investment in atomic power.
Despite growing worldwide concern about the safety of nuclear plants, Sarkozy said the moratorium on new nuclear reactors adopted by certain countries since the Japanese nuclear crisis in March "makes no sense".
"There is no alternative to nuclear energy today," he told journalists on Monday.
"We are going to devote €1bn to the nuclear programme of the future, particularly fourth-generation technology," Sarkozy said.
Sarkozy also promised "substantial resources" to strengthen research into nuclear safety and a further €1.3bn (£1.2bn) investment in renewable energy.
The announcement confirming France's commitment to atomic power came as neighbouring Germany drew up plans to shut all its nuclear stations by 2022.
It also came 24 hours after thousands of anti-nuclear protesters formed a human chain outside France's oldest nuclear power station to demand its closure.
The plant at Fessenheim in Alsace, on France's border with Germany, has become the focus of a fierce debate over nuclear safety.
At the weekend, demonstrators from France, Germany and Switzerland surrounded the plant calling for its number one reactor, in operation since 1977, to be taken out of service, claiming it was vulnerable to flooding and earthquakes. The plant is operated by French power group EDF.
The German chancellor, Angela Merkel, announced in May that Germany would phase out its 17 nuclear reactors, which provide up to 40% of the country's energy, by 2022 at a cost of €40bn. She said Germany would concentrate on renewable energy sources.
"We want to end the use of nuclear energy and reach the age of renewable energy as fast as possible," Merkel said.
Switzerland has also decided not to replace its five existing nuclear reactors, which supply around 40% of its energy, when they reach the end of their working life. The last of the nuclear stations is expected to end production by 2034, leaving time for Switzerland to develop alternative power sources.
Italy's prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi, sought to restart his country's nuclear programme, abandoned in the 1980s. But 94% of Italian voters rejected the idea in a referendum earlier this month.
France has 58 nuclear reactors, which supply 74% of its electricity, and is the world's largest net exporter of electricity from nuclear sources.
Sarkozy said France was known to be "considerably ahead" of other countries in terms of atomic power technology and safety.
"Our power stations are more expensive because they are safer," he said.
Following the Fukushima nuclear accidents, caused by a combination of earthquake and tsunami, the French prime minister, François Fillon, asked the nuclear safety authority to carry out an "open and transparent" audit of the country's nuclear installations, examining the risks of flood and earthquake damage, loss of power and cooling, and emergency accident procedure, to examine if any improvements could be made. Its conclusions are expected in September.
All 143 working nuclear power plants in the EU's 27 member states are facing new safety tests in the wake of the Fukushima disaster.
French ecology minister Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet said no decision on the future of Fessenheim would be made before the nuclear safety watchdog submitted its report.
Kim Willsher in Paris
guardian.co.uk, Monday 27 June 2011 13.53 BST
The French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, has bucked the anti-nuclear trend following Japan's Fukushima disaster by pledging €1bn of investment in atomic power.
Despite growing worldwide concern about the safety of nuclear plants, Sarkozy said the moratorium on new nuclear reactors adopted by certain countries since the Japanese nuclear crisis in March "makes no sense".
"There is no alternative to nuclear energy today," he told journalists on Monday.
"We are going to devote €1bn to the nuclear programme of the future, particularly fourth-generation technology," Sarkozy said.
Sarkozy also promised "substantial resources" to strengthen research into nuclear safety and a further €1.3bn (£1.2bn) investment in renewable energy.
The announcement confirming France's commitment to atomic power came as neighbouring Germany drew up plans to shut all its nuclear stations by 2022.
It also came 24 hours after thousands of anti-nuclear protesters formed a human chain outside France's oldest nuclear power station to demand its closure.
The plant at Fessenheim in Alsace, on France's border with Germany, has become the focus of a fierce debate over nuclear safety.
At the weekend, demonstrators from France, Germany and Switzerland surrounded the plant calling for its number one reactor, in operation since 1977, to be taken out of service, claiming it was vulnerable to flooding and earthquakes. The plant is operated by French power group EDF.
The German chancellor, Angela Merkel, announced in May that Germany would phase out its 17 nuclear reactors, which provide up to 40% of the country's energy, by 2022 at a cost of €40bn. She said Germany would concentrate on renewable energy sources.
"We want to end the use of nuclear energy and reach the age of renewable energy as fast as possible," Merkel said.
Switzerland has also decided not to replace its five existing nuclear reactors, which supply around 40% of its energy, when they reach the end of their working life. The last of the nuclear stations is expected to end production by 2034, leaving time for Switzerland to develop alternative power sources.
Italy's prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi, sought to restart his country's nuclear programme, abandoned in the 1980s. But 94% of Italian voters rejected the idea in a referendum earlier this month.
France has 58 nuclear reactors, which supply 74% of its electricity, and is the world's largest net exporter of electricity from nuclear sources.
Sarkozy said France was known to be "considerably ahead" of other countries in terms of atomic power technology and safety.
"Our power stations are more expensive because they are safer," he said.
Following the Fukushima nuclear accidents, caused by a combination of earthquake and tsunami, the French prime minister, François Fillon, asked the nuclear safety authority to carry out an "open and transparent" audit of the country's nuclear installations, examining the risks of flood and earthquake damage, loss of power and cooling, and emergency accident procedure, to examine if any improvements could be made. Its conclusions are expected in September.
All 143 working nuclear power plants in the EU's 27 member states are facing new safety tests in the wake of the Fukushima disaster.
French ecology minister Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet said no decision on the future of Fessenheim would be made before the nuclear safety watchdog submitted its report.
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