Events Calendar

Astani CEE Ph.D. Seminar

Speaker: Dr. Kelly T. Sanders, Astani CEE Faculty

Talk Title: Evaluating the efficacy of water conservation strategies through changes in the power sector

Abstract:

This presentation explores the effect of increasing the valuation of water through market levers as a mechanism to induce water savings from thermoelectric power plants the Electric Reliability Council of Texas' (ERCOT) electric grid. To do so, a unit commitment and dispatch model was utilized to simulate power generation, wholesale generation costs, water withdrawals, and water consumption across a set of increased cooling water costs ranging from 10 to 1,000 USD per acre-foot. This set of cooling water costs was applied to 1) the water consumed for power generation via evaporation and 2) the entire volume of water withdrawn for cooling. Results suggest that water withdrawals for cooling thermoelectric power plants in ERCOT can be reduced by as much as 75%, while water consumption can be reduced by 23% by imposing a fee for water. However, to achieve these water savings, wholesale electricity generation costs might increase as much as120% based on 2011 fuel costs and generation characteristics.

Although conventional long-term water supply projects tended to be more cost-effective than water management through shifts in power generation, the electric grid demonstrates short-term flexibility that conventional water supply projects do not. Thus, there might be conditions under which the grid could be effective at “supplying" water, particularly during emergency drought conditions.

Location: John Stauffer Science Lecture Hall (SLH) - 102

Audiences: Everyone Is Invited

Contact: Evangeline Reyes