Mandate a Man to Fish?: Technological advance in cooling systems at U.S. thermal electric plants

Abstract

Steam-based electrical generating plants use large quantities of water for cooling. The potential environmental impacts of water cooling systems have resulted in their inclusion in the Clean Water Act's (CWA) Sections 316(a), related to thermal discharges and 316(b), related to cooling water intake. The CWA mandates a technological standard for water cooling systems. This analysis examines how the performanceadjusted rates of thermal emissions and water withdrawals for cooling units have changed over their vintage and how these rates of change were impacted by imposition of the CWA. Results show that the rate of progress increased for cooling systems installed after the CWA whilethere was no progress previous to it.