WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) today released a new policy report, “Deploying Solar Power in the State of Arizona: A Brief Overview of the Solar-Water Nexus,” that provides a detailed look at the potential water-energy crisis in Arizona developing as a result of the rush to deploy water-intensive solar production in the state.
“While solar is a renewable resource, Arizona’s water is not,” said Senator Kyl. “Policymakers have an obligation to protect the state’s limited water supply and put its water resources to their highest and best use. Using Arizona’s water supplies to produce conventional CSP (Concentrating Solar Power), much of which will be exported out of state, does neither.”
A major objective of federal and state energy policy is to accelerate the adoption of renewable energy technology and invest in its development. Government-created incentives and mandates are being established to accomplish this objective. In Arizona, the state Corporation Commission has already mandated that electrical utilities generate at least 15 percent of their power from renewable sources, such as solar — and some would like to see that number set even higher in the future.
However, while Arizona enjoys abundant sunshine and would seem to be a perfect place to produce solar power, it is also burdened with limited water resources.
The primary solar technology used to generate utility-scale power, conventional concentrating solar power, uses a “wet-cooling” process that requires billions of gallons of water in the process of electricity generation. It is, in fact, the most water intensive method of all thermal energy produced today, consuming nearly twice as much water per megawatt hour as a coal-fire power plant.
Until now, little attention has been given to solar power’s high water consumption. Kyl’s report aims to raise awareness within Arizona about the harmful impact solar thermal energy production has on the state’s limited water supply, and to suggest the need to consider other, more efficient, methods of solar generation that use less water. In the case of an interesting project at the University of Arizona’s Steward Observatory Mirror Lab, for example, concentrator photovoltaic cells like those used in outer space can generate commercial-quality power using absolutely no water.
“Although it is important for Arizona to promote and develop its domestic energy resources including solar, policymakers should not lose sight of what is sustainable from a water resource standpoint,” Senator Kyl added.
A copy of the Kyl report is available online at: kyl.senate.gov/solar-water.pdf.
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