GC065-02
Water Risk for the Bulk Power System: Asset to Grid Impacts
Thursday, 10 December 2020: 19:04
Virtual
Ariel Miara1, Jordan Macknick2, Henriette Jager3, Vincent Carroll Tidwell4, Balazs M Fekete5, Nalini Rao6, Fabio Corsi7, Charles J. Vörösmarty8, Nicole D Jackson9 and Stuart Cohen2, (1)National Renewable Energy Laboratory Golden, Strategic Energy Analysis Center, Golden, CO, United States, (2)National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, CO, United States, (3)Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, United States, (4)Sandia Natl Laboratories, Albuquerque, NM, United States, (5)CUNY City College, New York, NY, United States, (6)Electric Power Research Institute, Palo Alto, United States, (7)CUNY City College of New York, New York, NY, United States, (8)CUNY City College of New York, Civil Engineering, New York, NY, United States, (9)University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, Civil & Environmental Engineering, Urbana, IL, United States
Abstract:
The majority of electricity generation in the United States is based on thermal and hydro power assets (90%, combined). The economic operations of the power grid are affected by water availability, ambient temperatures, climate extremes (flood and drought), and water regulations, all of which have region-specific characteristics. A lack of water and/or warm temperatures can lower the available capacity at thermal and hydro assets and pose risks to the reliable operation of regional power systems. Given that water-related risks can affect the entire spectrum of generation units and infrastructure, a coordinated and region-specific approach that considers all aspects of grid infrastructure is necessary to effectively prepare for and mitigate water-related risks, for both existing units and future investments.
This presentation will introduce a new Water Risk project that aims to evaluate water risk to the power grid. We will present results from our new study on water risk metrics, which is a key motivation for the project, and shows the need for improved understanding of water risk. The study provides a comprehensive analysis, comparison, and harmonization of published water scarcity metrics that are used to inform water resource management and sustainable development across energy, water and food systems. However, the study highlights the widespread use of different, inconsistent or incomplete metrics across the water resource research community. This lack of systematic evaluation of water risk could lead to a misunderstanding of water scarcity challenges and misguided prioritization of potential water scarcity solutions.
Based on the need for a coherent, systematic approach to understand water risk to the power grid, this research is motivated by two overarching goals: (1) To provide a comprehensive understanding of water impacts and risks to grid operations, including sensitivities to varying climate-hydrologic drivers and infrastructure futures, ranging from individual generating assets to regional- and national-scale threat assessments, and; (2) To create a national-scale analysis and visualization platform that enables utilities and system operators to evaluate water-related impacts and risks of existing and new grid assets that can inform grid operations and investment decisions.
