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| 1 |
ID:
171415
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| Summary/Abstract |
Threatened by a changing climate and the increased frequency of droughts and heat waves, more attention is being given to the sourcing of water resources. Especially in the American southwest, the frequency and severity of water shortages as well as elevated surface water temperatures has resulted in a series of threatened or imposed curtailments of thermoelectric power, the largest withdrawer of water in the United States. These cuts in generation can have important implications for the reliability and dispatchability of electric power, especially in summer months when electricity is needed most. This paper examines the potential for using brackish groundwater as a supplemental water source for thermoelectric power generation in seventeen western states and finds that the conversion of drought prone facilities to brackish backup systems would cost on the order of 60–70 thousand dollars per installed megawatt. Action from the federal government to foster basic research and technology readiness combined with state level action to require water resource contingency planning would encourage deployment of brackish water backup systems that would subsequently ensure resiliency and reliability of thermal generation during heat waves and in times of drought.
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| 2 |
ID:
179705
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| Summary/Abstract |
New renewable energy generators such as solar photovoltaics and wind turbines have the ability to be sited in a more decentralized manner than conventional generators such as coal, nuclear, hydroelectric, or natural gas plants. However, at the commercial scale, these new renewable generators are often built in existing generation corridors and are not necessarily more decentralized. This paper analyzes the degree of centralization of generators in the contiguous U.S. between 2001 and 2018 and identifies the state level policies that may be driving differences in the degree of centralization between states and regions. The results show that community solar programs such as those in North Carolina and Minnesota have driven greater decentralization of generation while community choice aggregation programs such as those in California have not led to greater decentralization of generation. The degree of centralization of generation assets has implications for sociotechnical systems, communities, energy security, and resiliency against manmade and natural disasters.
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