September 7th, 2022
Via Inside Climate News, a reminder of the heavy watergy impact of oil and gas extraction in Texas’ arid Permian Basin Oil and gas extraction in the Permian Basin of arid West Texas is expected to produce some 588 million gallons of wastewater per day for the next 38 years, according to findings of a state-commissioned […]
Read more »Drought Threatens Coal Plant Operations – and Electricity – Across the U.S. West
August 27th, 2022
Via NPR, a report on the impact that the U.S. southwest drought is having upon power generation in the region: Driving through the Wyoming sagebrush west of Cheyenne, the clouds of dust rising from the road give way to giant plumes of steam shooting into the warming sky. This is the Jim Bridger power plant, […]
Read more »August 13th, 2022
Via BBC, a report on the impact of drought on electricity generation in Europe: The ongoing drought in the UK and Europe is putting electricity generation under pressure, say experts. Electricity from hydropower – which uses water to generate power – has dropped by 20% overall. And nuclear facilities, which are cooled using river water, […]
Read more »As Drought Shrivels Lake Powell, Millions Face Power Crisis
July 16th, 2022
Via The Guardian, an article on how – with water levels falling ‘lower than thought possible’ at Glen Canyon dam – energy production could halt as soon as July 2023: Bob Martin, the deputy power manager at the Glen Canyon dam, gestures at the band of whitish, chalky residue running along the steep canyon walls […]
Read more »July 3rd, 2022
Via the World Bank, a look at how adding large-scale floating solar plants would not only make electricity greener and affordable but improve Sri Lanka’s competitiveness: Floating solar could bring multiple benefits such as better land utilisation, improved efficiency and it gives potential to help Sri Lanka meet its renewable energy goals Globally over 30 […]
Read more »Could Nuclear Desalination Help Defeat Water Scarcity?
June 22nd, 2022
Via BBC, an interesting look at the potential for nuclear desalination to help address global water scarcity: There are communities on every continent running short of water, according to the United Nations. Unfortunately, although our planet is swathed by oceans and seas, only a tiny fraction of Earth’s water – about 2.5% – is fresh, and demand for drinking water […]
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