Evaporation from Lake Mead, Arizona and Nevada, 1997-99

Westenburg, Craig L.; DeMeo, Guy A.; Tanko, Daron J.

doi:10.3133/sir20065252

Cited by 13 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 2 publications

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“…The evaporation calculation using historical data has shown an annual evaporation estimate of 1957.6 mm for the lake. The result of the calculation performed in this study is in agreement with previous evaporation studies on Lake Mead [55,95].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

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Water Conservation Potential of Self-Funded Foam-Based Flexible Surface-Mounted Floatovoltaics

et al. 2020

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A potential solution to the coupled water–energy–food challenges in land use is the concept of floating photovoltaics or floatovoltaics (FPV). In this study, a new approach to FPV is investigated using a flexible crystalline silicon-based photovoltaic (PV) module backed with foam, which is less expensive than conventional pontoon-based FPV. This novel form of FPV is tested experimentally for operating temperature and performance and is analyzed for water-savings using an evaporation calculation adapted from the Penman–Monteith model. The results show that the foam-backed FPV had a lower operating temperature than conventional pontoon-based FPV, and thus a 3.5% higher energy output per unit power. Therefore, foam-based FPV provides a potentially profitable means of reducing water evaporation in the world’s at-risk bodies of fresh water. The case study of Lake Mead found that if 10% of the lake was covered with foam-backed FPV, there would be enough water conserved and electricity generated to service Las Vegas and Reno combined. At 50% coverage, the foam-backed FPV would provide over 127 TWh of clean solar electricity and 633.22 million m3 of water savings, which would provide enough electricity to retire 11% of the polluting coal-fired plants in the U.S. and provide water for over five million Americans, annually.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

“…The result obtained in this present study is located within the result interval of Moreo and Swancar's study. Another early study by Westenburg et al provided the evaporation data for Lake Mead from 1997 to 1999 [95]. The average evaporation rate for that period was 2281 mm.…”

Section: Water Evaporationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Water Conservation Potential of Self-Funded Foam-Based Flexible Surface-Mounted Floatovoltaics

et al. 2020

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“…for PHES there than in Louisville, and accounted its for its lower long-term efficiency. (In comparison, evaporative losses from Lake Mead averaged 5.67% per year during 1998-1999 [32].) July to January average wind speed and ambient temperature were 3.25 m/s and 16 C in Louisville and 2.55 m/s and 25.8 C in Phoenix, respectively.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 96%

Efficiency of Solar Electricity Production With Long-Term Storage

Shakeri

Soltanzadeh

Berson

et al. 2014

Journal of Solar Energy Engineering

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Solar electric production systems with energy storage were simulated and compared, including an ammonia thermochemical cycle, compressed air energy storage (CAES), pumped hydroelectric energy storage (PHES), vanadium flow battery, and thermal energy storage (TES). All systems used the same parabolic concentrator to collect solar energy and Stirling engine to produce electricity. Efficiency and storage losses were modeled after existing experiments. At receiver and ammonia synthesis temperatures of 800 K, efficiencies of all systems except TES were initially similar at 17-19%, while TES provided $23%. Further, TES was most efficient for diurnal-scale storage. However, lower time-dependent storage losses caused the ammonia system to have the highest efficiency after one month of storage and to be increasingly favored as time of storage increased. Solar electric production with full capacity factor may be most efficient with a combination of systems including direct solar-electric production and systems with both diurnal and long-term storage.

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“…The standard deviation for the monthly evaporation rate equaled 10%, based on data presented in Westenburg et al . (). Simulations continued until the moving average of all simulations fluctuated within 2% of the deterministic value of bank storage, determined from the local inflow regression and average evaporation.…”

Section: Methods Of Analysismentioning

confidence: 97%

Loss Rates from Lake Powell and Their Impact on Management of the Colorado River

Myers

2013

J American Water Resour Assoc

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As demand for water in the southwestern United States increases and climate change potentially decreases the natural flows in the Colorado River system, there will be increased need to optimize the water supply. Lake Powell is a large reservoir with potentially high loss rates to bank storage and evaporation. Bank storage is estimated as a residual in the reservoir water balance. Estimates of local inflow contribute uncertainty to estimates of bank storage. Regression analyses of local inflow with gaged tributaries have improved the estimate of local inflow. Using a stochastic estimate of local inflow based on the standard error of the regression estimator and of gross evaporation based on observed variability at Lake Mead, a reservoir water balance was used to estimate that more than 14.8 billion cubic meters (Gm3) has been stored in the banks, with a 90% probability that the value is actually between 11.8 and 18.5 Gm3. Groundwater models developed by others, observed groundwater levels, and simple transmissivity calculations confirm these bank storage estimates. Assuming a constant bank storage fraction for simulations of the future may cause managers to underestimate the actual losses from the reservoir. Updated management regimes which account more accurately for bank storage and evaporation could save water that will otherwise be lost to the banks or evaporation.

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Evaporation from Lake Mead, Arizona and Nevada, 1997-99

Cited by 13 publications

References 2 publications

Water Conservation Potential of Self-Funded Foam-Based Flexible Surface-Mounted Floatovoltaics

Water Conservation Potential of Self-Funded Foam-Based Flexible Surface-Mounted Floatovoltaics

Efficiency of Solar Electricity Production With Long-Term Storage

Loss Rates from Lake Powell and Their Impact on Management of the Colorado River

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