WASHINGTON, Jan. 13, 2016 - Climate change impacts and
associated changes in water resources could
lead to reductions in electricity production capacity for more than 60
percent of the power plants worldwide from 2040-2069, but adaptation measures focused on making
power plants more efficient and flexible could mitigate much of the decline,
says a study by the International Institute
for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA ) published recently in the
journal Nature Climate
Change.
Hydropower and thermoelectric power contribute 98 percent of
electricity production worldwide and hydropower plants and thermoelectric power
plants rely on freshwater from rivers and streams and depend on water
availability. Water temperature for cooling also plays a critical role for
thermoelectric power generation. Model projections show that climate change
will impact water resources availability and will increase water temperatures
in many regions of the world.
“This is the first study of its kind to examine the linkages
between climate change, water resources and electricity production on a global
scale. We clearly show that power plants are not only causing climate change,
but they might also be affected in major ways by climate,” says Keywan Riahi, IIASA
Energy Program director.
The study explored potential impacts of adaptation measures,
such as technological developments that increase power plant efficiency,
switching from coal to more efficient gas-fired plants or switching from
freshwater cooling to air cooling or to seawater cooling systems for power
plants on the coasts.
“We show that technological developments with increases in
power plant efficiencies and changes in cooling system types would reduce the
vulnerability to water constraints in most regions. Improved cross-sectoral
water management during drought periods is of course also important,” says
Michelle Van Vliet, a researcher at IIASA. “In order to sustain water and
energy security in the next decades, the electricity (sector) will need to
increase their focus on climate change adaptation in addition to mitigation.”
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