Sensitivities of Recent Electricity Generation Water Use Findings to Data Updates and Variability

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
James R. Meldrum ◽  
Kristen B. Averyt ◽  
Jordan E. Macknick ◽  
Robin L. Newmark ◽  
John Rogers ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Electricity Generation ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
The United States ◽  
Energy Information Administration ◽  
Primary Literature ◽  
Thermoelectric Power Plants ◽  
Operational Processes ◽  
Energy Information

Electricity generating technologies require substantial amounts of water for cooling in steam cycle processes and for other operational processes [1,2]. This study expands on recent research [3,4] that uses estimates of operational water consumption and withdrawal factors for electricity generating technologies, collected from published primary literature [1,5], and power plant statistics provided by the Energy Information Administration (EIA), to calculate and understand the water use by thermoelectric power plants in the United States.

scholarly journals A spatially detailed blue water footprint of the United States economy

2018 ◽  
Vol 22 (5) ◽  
pp. 3007-3032 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard R. Rushforth ◽  
Benjamin L. Ruddell
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Water Footprint ◽  
Virtual Water ◽  
The United States ◽  
Energy Information Administration ◽  
Blue Water ◽  
Consumptive Use ◽  
The Us ◽  
Per Capita

Abstract. This paper quantifies and maps a spatially detailed and economically complete blue water footprint for the United States, utilizing the National Water Economy Database version 1.1 (NWED). NWED utilizes multiple mesoscale (county-level) federal data resources from the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the US Energy Information Administration (EIA), the US Department of Transportation (USDOT), the US Department of Energy (USDOE), and the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) to quantify water use, economic trade, and commodity flows to construct this water footprint. Results corroborate previous studies in both the magnitude of the US water footprint (F) and in the observed pattern of virtual water flows. Four virtual water accounting scenarios were developed with minimum (Min), median (Med), and maximum (Max) consumptive use scenarios and a withdrawal-based scenario. The median water footprint (FCUMed) of the US is 181 966 Mm3 (FWithdrawal: 400 844 Mm3; FCUMax: 222 144 Mm3; FCUMin: 61 117 Mm3) and the median per capita water footprint (FCUMed′) of the US is 589 m3 per capita (FWithdrawal′: 1298 m3 per capita; FCUMax′: 720 m3 per capita; FCUMin′: 198 m3 per capita). The US hydroeconomic network is centered on cities. Approximately 58 % of US water consumption is for direct and indirect use by cities. Further, the water footprint of agriculture and livestock is 93 % of the total US blue water footprint, and is dominated by irrigated agriculture in the western US. The water footprint of the industrial, domestic, and power economic sectors is centered on population centers, while the water footprint of the mining sector is highly dependent on the location of mineral resources. Owing to uncertainty in consumptive use coefficients alone, the mesoscale blue water footprint uncertainty ranges from 63 to over 99 % depending on location. Harmonized region-specific, economic-sector-specific consumption coefficients are necessary to reduce water footprint uncertainties and to better understand the human economy's water use impact on the hydrosphere.

Characterizing the United States Nuclear Used Fuel Inventory Using the Cyclus Fuel Cycle Simulator

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cem Bagdatlioglu ◽  
Robert Flanagan ◽  
Erich Schneider
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Reference Data ◽  
Fuel Cycle ◽  
Nuclear Reactors ◽  
The United States ◽  
Energy Information Administration ◽  
Reactor Modeling ◽  
Cycle Simulation ◽  
The Us ◽  
Energy Information

The used fuel inventory of the United States commercial nuclear fleet has been accumulating since the inception of nuclear reactors. In order to understand the mass and composition of the used fuel inventory, a nuclear fuel cycle simulation package (Cyclus) is used with a reactor modeling tool (Bright-lite). The parameters for the simulation are obtained as historical operation and burnup data for every reactor in the US fleet, taken from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The historical burnup data is used to calculate the fuel enrichment of every reactor at every refueling. Discharged uranium inventories calculated by the software are shown to closely match the reference data. The total mass of three major actinide groups are presented as they build up over time. In addition, the evolution of the plutonium composition in discharged fuel is also presented, illustrating Cyclus’ ability to track the composition of material flowing through a large, evolving reactor fleet over decades.

scholarly journals A Spatially Detailed and Economically Complete Blue Water Footprint of the United States

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard R. Rushforth ◽  
Benjamin L. Ruddell
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Water Footprint ◽  
The United States ◽  
Irrigated Agriculture ◽  
Energy Information Administration ◽  
United States Geological Survey ◽  
United States Department ◽  
Blue Water ◽  
The U.S

Abstract. This paper quantifies and maps a spatially detailed and economically complete blue water footprint for the United States, utilizing the National Water Economy Database version 1.1 (NWED). NWED utilizes multiple mesoscale federal data resources from the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT), the U.S. Department of Energy (USDOE), and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) to quantify water use, economic trade, and commodity flows to construct this water footprint. Results corroborate previous studies in both the magnitude of the U.S. water footprint (F) and in the observed pattern of virtual water flows. The median water footprint (FCUMed) of the U.S. is 181 966 Mm3 (FWithdrawal: 400 844 Mm3; FCUMax: 222 144 Mm3; FCUMin: 61 117 Mm3) and the median per capita water footprint (F'CUMed) of the U.S. is 589 m3 capita−1 (F'Withdrawal: 1298 m3 capita−1; F'CUMax: 720 m3 capita−1; F'CUMin: 198 m3 capita−1). The U.S. hydro-economic network is centered on cities and is dominated by the local and regional scales. Approximately (58 %) of U.S. water consumption is for the direct and indirect use by cities. Further, the water footprint of agriculture and livestock is 93 % of the total U.S. water footprint, and is dominated by irrigated agriculture in the Western U.S. The water footprint of the industrial, domestic, and power economic sectors is centered on population centers, while the water footprint of the mining sector is highly dependent on the location of mineral resources. Owing to uncertainty in consumptive use coefficients alone, the mesoscale blue water footprint uncertainty ranges from 63 % to over 99 % depending on location. Harmonized region-specific, economic sector-specific consumption coefficients are necessary to reduce water footprint uncertainties and to better understand the human economy's water use impact on the hydrosphere.

scholarly journals Old King Coal

2002 ◽  
Vol 124 (08) ◽  
pp. 41-45 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harry Hutchinson
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
International Energy Agency ◽  
The United States ◽  
Combined Cycle ◽  
Energy Information Administration ◽  
Energy Agency ◽  
Plant Feeding ◽  
The Us ◽  
Gasification Plant ◽  
Energy Information

This article focuses on the US Energy Information Administration estimates that coal generates 34 percent of the world's electricity today and will still account for more than 30 percent in 2020. The backers of coal say that systems can be—and must be—developed to make coal more efficient to burn and less troublesome to the biosphere. The United States is also a supporter of the International Energy Agency and is one of the member countries that support IEA Coal Research, a program based in London. The plan for a gasification plant feeding a combined-cycle generating station is still in the demonstration stage in the United States. Although the process squeezes more efficiency out of coal and scores points for cleaner air and corporate goodwill, prospective buyers have yet to form a line around the block. New sources in Venezuela, which has South America’s mother lode of petroleum, have come onto the market, and competition is driving down coke prices.

scholarly journals When Does Regulation Distort Costs? Lessons from Fuel Procurement in US Electricity Generation

2015 ◽  
Vol 105 (1) ◽  
pp. 411-444 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steve Cicala
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Asymmetric Information ◽  
Electricity Generation ◽  
Power Plants ◽  
Coal Mines ◽  
State Level ◽  
The United States ◽  
Regulatory Change ◽  
Regulatory Capture ◽  
Capital Intensive

This paper evaluates changes in fuel procurement practices by coal-and gas-fired power plants in the United States following state-level legislation that ended cost-of-service regulation of electricity generation. I find that deregulated plants substantially reduce the price paid for coal (but not gas) and tend to employ less capital-intensive sulfur abatement techniques relative to matched plants that were not subject to any regulatory change. Deregulation also led to a shift toward more productive coal mines. I show how these results lend support to theories of asymmetric information, capital bias, and regulatory capture as important sources of regulatory distortion. (JEL L51, L71, L94, L98, Q35, Q41, Q48)

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