{"id":12077,"date":"2016-01-19T10:08:31","date_gmt":"2016-01-19T16:08:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/energyexchange\/?p=12077"},"modified":"2016-02-05T09:40:30","modified_gmt":"2016-02-05T15:40:30","slug":"saving-texas-water-through-smart-energy-choices-in-2016","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/energyexchange\/2016\/01\/19\/saving-texas-water-through-smart-energy-choices-in-2016\/","title":{"rendered":"Saving Texas\u2019 Water through Smart Energy Choices in 2016"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Desert-Sky-Wind-Farm<\/a>2015 proved to be another weird weather year around the country, especially for Texas. 80 degrees and dry in Austin on Christmas Day, spring wildflowers in bloom, and kids playing outside in shorts \u2013 a surprise ending to a wild ride of drought followed by devastating floods followed by drought and then more floods.<\/p>\n

Texas is used to drought-flood cycles and extreme weather, but last year the pendulum seemed to swing wildly from one to the next. And climate models predict<\/a> intense swings for the future as well: After the next flood is another drought, which will likely be more intense and longer than usual due to climate change.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, it seems like during our brief respites from drought, we also take a break from thinking about water scarcity. After the year we\u2019ve just had, this should not be the case \u2013 water security should be at the top of Texans\u2019 minds going into 2016. But there are two promising developments for our water future: the Clean Power Plan<\/a> and examples that cities in other water-stressed Western states are setting.<\/p>\n

Good news: The Clean Power Plan will bring water savings<\/strong><\/p>\n

In 2015, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized the Clean Power Plan, the first-ever cap on carbon emissions from the power sector. It may not be intuitive to think about water when talking about carbon pollution and energy, but it should be. Coal, natural gas, and nuclear power consume<\/a> 580 gallons, 310 gallons, and 460 gallons of water to create one megawatt hour of energy, respectively, or the equivalent of powering 330 homes for an hour.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why the Clean Power Plan could be one of Texas\u2019 most effective water planning tools: By prioritizing clean energy, the plan encourages the use of less water-intensive energy resources. For example, negligible quantities of water are required to generate power from wind and solar PV, and virtually no water is required for energy efficiency. These same resources also generate negligible carbon emissions, and would therefore be a sensible solution for meeting the Clean Power Plan\u2019s goals.<\/p>\n

Safeguarding energy and water reliability means ensuring Texas continues to grow and draw businesses to our state \u2013 and the Clean Power Plan will help us get there. Compared to the state\u2019s 2012 power generation mix (the baseline year used to create the Clean Power Plan\u2019s targets), meeting the plan\u2019s goals would save 124,000 acre-feet of water in 2030 (the year in which the standards will fully be in effect), roughly the equivalent of Caddo Lake in East Texas. Those are savings worth pursuing.<\/p>\n

[Tweet “Saving Texas\u2019 water through smart energy choices in 2016”]<\/p>\n

More good news: Drought-prone western states are standing up for clean energy<\/strong><\/p>\n

For inspiration on embracing renewable energy, Texas could look for examples in other drought-prone Western states and even to cities within the Lone Star State.<\/p>\n