An Environmental and Societal Analysis of the US Electrical Energy Industry Based on the Water–Energy Nexus

Shirkey, Gabriela; Belongeay, Megan; Wu, Susie Ruqun; Ma, Xiaojun; Tavakol, Hassan; Anctil, Annick; Marquette-Pyatt, Sandra; Stewart, Rodney Anthony; Sinha, Parikhit; Corkish, Richard; Chen, Jiquan; Celik, Ilke

doi:10.3390/en14092633

Cited by 8 publications

(3 citation statements)

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“…5). The total displaced water use was 8 times the O&M use for those arrays, thus installing solar PV in water scarce regions has significant potential to reduce water use, which bolsters findings from previous studies [63][64][65][66][67][68] . This analysis does not incorporate the additional hydrologic effects of modifying surface energy and water budgets, including reducing evapotranspiration and the potential for increased groundwater recharge 22,[69][70][71][72][73][74] .…”

Section: The Potential For Water Sustainability With Agrisolar Co-loc...supporting

confidence: 75%

From Fields to Photovoltaics: Effects of Agrisolar Co-Location on Food, Energy, Water, and Economic Security

Stid,

Shukla,

Kendall

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Achieving sustainable net-zero energy production requires understanding how solar PV installations affect the landscape and its critical resources. To enhance this understanding, we investigate agrisolar co-location, which is land that is broadly co-managed for agricultural production, solar photovoltaic electricity production, and ecosystem services. We present a food, energy, water, and economic impact analysis of agricultural output offset by agrisolar co-location for 925 arrays (2.53 GWp covering 39.3 km2) spanning the California Central Valley. We find that agrisolar co-location displaces a significant amount of food production. However, agrisolar co-location also increases economic security for farmers and likely enhances water sustainability, and thus future agricultural production, by reducing irrigation water use and facilitating the fallowing of irrigated land. Given the unprecedented pace of solar PV expansion globally, these results highlight the need for a deeper understanding of the multifaceted outcomes of agricultural and solar PV co-location decisions.

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Section: The Potential For Water Sustainability With Agrisolar Co-loc...supporting

confidence: 75%

From Fields to Photovoltaics: Effects of Agrisolar Co-Location on Food, Energy, Water, and Economic Security

Stid,

Shukla,

Kendall

et al. 2023

Preprint

Self Cite

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“…Fresh air is beneficial, especially in industrialized/developed countries [3]. Lung diseases are caused by CO 2 and SO 2 [4]. Thus, air pollution worsens health issues [5].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exploring the Roles of Education, Renewable Energy, and Global Warming on Health Expenditures

Piran,

Sharifi,

Safari

2023

Sustainability

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Renewable energy sources—which are available in abundance all around us and are provided by the sun, wind, water, waste, and heat from the Earth—are replenished by nature and emit little to no greenhouse gases or pollutants into the air. This paper builds upon a preceding study that examined beliefs, perceptions, and attitudes regarding renewable energy technologies. In this study, we examine the implications renewable energy sources may have on science, technology policies, and education. This study embraced a sequential mixed-methods methodology to accomplish its objectives. The primary goal of this study was to ascertain the impact of global warming, education, and renewable energy on healthcare expenditure. In order to determine the impact of renewable energy on health care expenditure, the present research study coupled renewable energy with gross domestic product (GDP). Based on the long-term outcomes derived from our Fully Modified Ordinary Least Squares (FMOLS) and Dynamic Ordinary Least Squares (DOLS) estimators, GDP, renewable energy, and education were found to be adversely correlated with healthcare expenditure. To collect data, we conducted interview sessions, which were subsequently complemented by a survey that was completed by 400 respondents (specifically chosen research participants). We then conducted thematic analyses. The findings of this study underscore a compelling inverse relationship linking GDP, renewable energy integration, and education with healthcare spending. Regions displaying lower healthcare outlays are seemingly less strained ecologically due to their judicious utilization of renewable energy sources. Furthermore, based on our findings, a noteworthy correlation between healthcare expenditure and global warming was observed, underscoring the potential escalation of financial burdens with intensifying climate shifts. In light of our findings, advocating for the amplification of renewable energy deployment emerges as a prudent strategy to fortify public health while mitigating healthcare expenses. Augmenting investments in education acts as a pivotal lever to steer sustainable growth. It is noteworthy that the survey participants’ level of familiarity with renewable energy technology was not found to be connected to their educational backgrounds, revealing a disparity in knowledge. The prevailing unfamiliarity with sustainability principles among the respondents underscores the need for widespread awareness initiatives. This study acts as a holistic exploration of the ramifications of renewable energy on healthcare expenditure; this is intertwined with the complex tapestry of global warming and education. The implications of renewable energy reverberate across policy and practice, accentuating the urgency of sustainable energy adoption for the betterment of public health and economic resilience. Future studies should focus on conducting more nuanced assessments of socio-economic aspects and generate strategies for bridging knowledge gaps among diverse stakeholders.

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“…When considering a sustainable coal power system, the water sector must also be considered as it provides a significant contribution to the life cycle of coal electricity production. Water is not only consumed in the mining, washing, and refining process, but also the combustion at power plants [26]. Most coal mines are in the arid region in western China, an area vulnerable to water stress.…”

Section: Introduction 1background On Carbon Neutrality and China's Co...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Toward a Carbon-Neutral State: A Carbon–Energy–Water Nexus Perspective of China’s Coal Power Industry

Xie

Qi²,

Zhang³

et al. 2022

Energies

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Carbon neutrality is one of the most important goals for the Chinese government to mitigate climate change. Coal has long been China’s dominant energy source and accounts for more than 70–80% of its carbon emissions. Reducing the share of coal power supply and increasing carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) in coal power plants are the two primary efforts to reduce carbon emissions in China. However, even as energy and water consumed in CCUS are offset by reduced energy consumption from green energy transitions, there may be tradeoffs from the carbon–energy–water (CEW) nexus perspective. This paper developed a metric and tool known as the “Assessment Tool for Portfolios of Coal power production under Carbon neutral goals” (ATPCC) to evaluate the tradeoffs in China’s coal power industry from both the CEW nexus and financial profits perspectives. While most CEW nexus frameworks and practical tools focus on the CEW nexus perturbation from either an external factor or one sector from CEW, ATPCC considers the coupling effect from C(Carbon) and E(Energy) in the CEW nexus when integrating two main carbon mitigation policies. ATPCC also provides an essential systematic life cycle CEW nexus assessment tool for China’s coal power industry under carbon-neutral constraints. By applying ATPCC across different Chinese coal industry development portfolios, we illustrated potential strategies to reach a zero-emission electricity industry fueled by coal. When considering the sustainability of China’s coal industry in the future, we further demonstrate that reduced water and energy consumption results from the energy transition are not enough to offset the extra water and energy consumption in the rapid adoption of CCUS efforts. However, we acknowledge that the increased energy and water consumption is not a direct correlation to CCUS application growth nor a direct negative correlation to carbon emissions. The dual effort to implement CCUS and reduce electricity generation from coal needs a thorough understanding and concise strategy. We found that economic loss resulting from coal reduction can be compensated by the carbon market. Carbon trading has the potential to be the dominant profit-making source for China’s coal power industry. Additionally, the financial profits in China’s coal power industry are not negatively correlated to carbon emissions. Balance between the carbon market and the coal industry would lead to more economic revenues. The scenario with the most rapid reduction in coal power production combined with CCUS would be more sustainable from the CEW nexus perspective. However, when economic revenues are considered, the scenario with a moderately paced energy transition and CCUS effort would be more sustainable. Nevertheless, the ATPCC allows one to customize coal production scenarios according to the desired electricity production and emission reduction, thus making it appropriate not only for use in China but also in other coal-powered regions that face high-energy demands and carbon neutrality goals.

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An Environmental and Societal Analysis of the US Electrical Energy Industry Based on the Water–Energy Nexus

Cited by 8 publications

References 40 publications

From Fields to Photovoltaics: Effects of Agrisolar Co-Location on Food, Energy, Water, and Economic Security

From Fields to Photovoltaics: Effects of Agrisolar Co-Location on Food, Energy, Water, and Economic Security

Exploring the Roles of Education, Renewable Energy, and Global Warming on Health Expenditures

Toward a Carbon-Neutral State: A Carbon–Energy–Water Nexus Perspective of China’s Coal Power Industry

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