Water Availability and Use - Program 55 Program Description Program Overview Water is a shared resource critical to economic and community development. Population increases coupled with regional population shifts and competing demand among municipalities, agriculture, and industry are focusing more attention on water availability and putting pressure on the electric power industry to increase its water use efficiency and minimize overall water usage. In addition, water availability is a critical element of power plant siting processes among increased competition for surface and groundwater supplies. An integrated approach to developing water and energy infrastructures will be an important aspect of future water policy and regulation. Water availability constraints on electric power generation and implications of climate variation for power industry water use will be key to power industry compliance. The Electric Power Research Institute's (EPRI's) Water Availability and Use Program helps members, regulators, and other water resource stakeholders develop and implement cost-efficient, risk-based strategies for improved power plant water use efficiency, reduced power plant water demand, and management of climate variability impacts. In this program, EPRI focuses on developing water resource management and forecasting tools, advanced cooling technologies, use of nontraditional water resources, and comparative, integrated engineering/economic analyses. Research Value This program prepares member companies to participate in evolving water policy development and build strategies for the future. Because water is a shared resource, the industry must understand the perspectives of all water resource stakeholders (government and nongovernment) and participate in stakeholder consensus decision making. If existing power plants cannot meet water needs, power companies may be forced to reduce power output or completely shut down these plants. Siting and construction of new generation capacity may be stalled by water availability constraints. This research helps power generators address a future where water use (including withdrawals, consumption, storage, and flow regulation) may be constrained by water availability, risk management associated with climate variability implications for water resource availability, and innovative technologies to increase water use efficiency and freshwater conservation through advanced cooling technologies and the use of nontraditional water resources. The program delivers scientific information, practical guidance, proven decision-support tools, innovative technologies, and technology assessments. Program information and results are disseminated through reports, papers, webcasts, issue briefs, and presentation materials. The program delivers decision-support tools for water resource and power generation water use management, development of water resource knowledge bases, and integrated sustainability assessments of regional power and water supply; guidelines, tools, and information to develop and demonstrate advanced cooling technologies; strategies and information on use of nontraditional water resources (e.g., sewage treatment plant discharge, saline groundwater, produced water from oil and natural gas extraction, agricultural and stormwater runoff); p. 1
development and demonstration of new, innovative technologies to reduce freshwater resource use for electric power generation; data, information, and tools for comparative evaluations of power plant water conserving technologies for specific applications; and efficient water resource management for maintenance and growth of electric power generation capacity. Accomplishments For the last decade, EPRI has been a leader in creating and communicating understanding of the emerging issue of energy/water sustainability. EPRI has published over a dozen reports on the subject covering research needs, national water availability assessments, water resource risk management methodologies, and technical evaluations to reduce power plant water use. EPRI has played a key role in numerous professional society, foundation and government workshops and conferences to address the energy/water nexus. Existing EPRI research suggests that facility-specific savings can range from tens of thousands to tens of millions of dollars. Program accomplishments include the following: Engineering and economic analyses of advanced cooling technologies and use of nontraditional water sources Evaluation of best management practices for noncooling-water releases Management and assessment methodologies for energy/water sustainability Current Year Activities Program R&D for 2011 will focus on addressing water availability issues, clarifying implications of changes in the nation's water resources, improving thermoelectric water use efficiency and conservation, developing advanced cooling technologies and nontraditional water resources for power plant applications, and performing integrated economic/engineering assessments. Specific efforts will include the following: A decision-support methodology for siting new power plants and retrofitting technology to existing plants that accounts for water availability and water use efficiency and conservation Initiation of a critical review of existing and proposed advanced cooling technologies that accounts for energy and economic costs and also includes cooling approaches from other industries Initial development of case studies using recycled stormwater to meet power plant water needs Initial development of a web-based reference on water availability and use Estimated 2011 Program Funding $1.2M Program Manager Robert Goldstein, 650-855-2154, rogoldst@epri.com Water Availability and Use - Program 55 p. 2
Summary of Projects Project Number Project Title Description P55.001 Water Management and Forecasting P55.002 Advanced Cooling Technologies This project addresses the need to develop and evaluate new strategies for managing water resources to guarantee water availability to meet current and future electric power demand. This project creates and develops new cooling technologies to increase thermoelectric power plant water use efficiency. P55.003 Non-traditional Water Use This project creates and develops new nontraditional water source use technologies to reduce freshwater use by power plants. P55.004 Integrated Engineering/Economic Analyses This project conducts engineering and economic analyses of new, innovative water-saving technology applications. P55.001 Water Management and Forecasting (058353) Key Research Question Rapidly growing demand for clean, fresh water, coupled with the need to protect and enhance the environment, have made many areas of the United States vulnerable to water shortages. Such shortages could cause reductions in current supplies of electricity and could have direct impacts on power system planning and expansion. Water and energy shortages can occur relatively suddenly and can have adverse impacts on local and regional economies. To address this critical issue, research needs include creation and demonstration of decision-support tools for watershed management and power plant water use, development of water resource knowledge bases, and integrated sustainability assessments of regional power and water supply. This project evaluates and creates planning strategies to address current and future water availability constraints on electric power generation. The project provides data, information, and tools to analyze and project water demand and supply within watersheds and regions under multiple future scenarios, including population and economic growth, land use change, new-technology development, and climate variability. The research also analyzes alternative management plans, including siting and design of new plants and retrofits of existing plants, for increased water use efficiency and minimization of water use. Impact Develops cost-effective business strategies to address current and future water availability limitations Provides strategies for increased water and energy use efficiency, water conservation, and cost savings Leverages government-funded research to address industry needs Leverages public water supply and waste water treatment sector funded research How to Apply Results Power company environment, generation, and planning staff will extract information from project reports, papers, issue briefs, and presentation material. This information will also be disseminated to community water resource stakeholders and government agencies. Members will use results to support decision making with respect to meeting community and government pressures to increase water use efficiency and reduce water use in both existing and new plants. Members will use results to guide design and siting of new generation. In addition, EPRI will facilitate broader use and awareness of the results by presenting webcasts; briefing key stakeholders, including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and state agencies; developing Water Availability and Use - Program 55 p. 3
materials for the trade press/media; and continuing service on various government, academic, and professional organization advisory panels. 2011 Products Decision-Support System for Siting and Retrofitting - Year Two: This project is the second year of a study that will develop a decision-support methodology for siting new power plants. The methodology will consider water demands of different generation technologies, advanced cooling technologies, nontraditional water sources, in-plant water reuse, watershed/regional hydrology, water demands of competing water resource stakeholders, community water sharing strategies, receiving waterbody assimilative capacity, antidegradation, and impacts of reducing water discharges. The methodology can also be used by existing power plants considering retrofits to increase water use efficiency and reduce overall freshwater demand. 12/31/11 Future Year Products Water Conservation/Energy Efficiency Relationships - Year One: This project is the first year of a two-year study to assess the energy efficiencies that can be obtained from water conservation strategies and technologies applied by other sectors, such as industry, public use, and agriculture. The results of the first year's work will be communicated to members through a webcast. Water Conservation/Energy Efficiency Relationships - Year Two: This project is the concluding year of a study to assess the energy efficiencies that can be obtained from water conservation strategies and technologies applied by other sectors, such as industry, public use, and agriculture. 12/31/12 12/31/13 Report P55.002 Advanced Cooling Technologies (063345) Key Research Question Thermoelectric power plants need sufficient water supplies to meet generation demands. Most of the water used by thermoelectric power plants is either withdrawn for once-through cooling or consumed by wet-cooling towers. Pressure on the electric power industry to reduce water withdrawal and consumption will continue to increase over the next quarter-century as a result of greater demands for fresh water and electric power associated with population growth. Climate variability and growing concerns about environmental protection may exacerbate the situation. Existing technologies for significantly reducing cooling water withdrawal and consumption have significant energy penalties and high costs. Existing air-cooled condensers require large amounts of land and are subject to operating problems in high winds. The suitability of indirect air cooling for conventional nuclear power plants has yet to be demonstrated. There is a need to create, test, and demonstrate new technologies to increase power plant water use efficiency, especially for cooling. By creating new knowledge bases and developing and testing new technologies, this project enhances compliance processes, controls O&M costs, reduces construction costs, expedites permitting, and assesses innovative, breakthrough technologies to increase cooling water use efficiency and reduce overall water use by power plants. The project provides guidelines, tools, demonstrations, and information for use and optimization of advanced cooling technologies to meet water conservation requirements of permits, regulations, and policies. Water Availability and Use - Program 55 p. 4
The project also reduces costs and heat-rate penalties associated with advanced cooling technologies, and addresses siting and construction of new plants and retrofitting of existing plants. In addition to the research performed in this program, a related supplemental project on advanced cooling technologies focuses on technologies that are far advanced with respect to development and are either ready or nearly ready for demonstration. The base program project focuses on technologies that are in the discovery, proof-of-concept, or early development stages. Impact Reduces impacts of wet and dry cooling on power plant performance and O&M costs Expedites permitting by providing guidelines, tools, and information for the use and optimization of advanced cooling technologies to meet water conservation requirements Creates and develops innovative water-conserving technologies for use at thermoelectric power plants How to Apply Results Power company environmental and generation staff will apply project results to evaluate alternative wet, dry, and hybrid cooling technologies to reduce water withdrawal and consumption for cooling, and hence vulnerability to future water shortages. Discovery, proof-of-concept, and demonstration studies will be conducted with cooperating members. U.S. Department of Energy and vendor cost sharing will be solicited. Workshops and webcasts will be held to foster communication of results to members, vendors, government agencies, and the public. 2011 Products Air Cooling Evaluation - Year One: This project is the first year of a study to critically review existing and proposed advanced cooling technologies, from those that are still in the conceptual stage to those that have already been implemented. Special attention will be paid to energy and dollar costs, strengths, and limitations. For those technologies still in the conceptual stage, time and dollars needed to bring to demonstration will be estimated, as well as critical technical challenges to successful implementation. The project will also review air cooling approaches being used and studied in other industries, such as the computer, electronics, petrochemical, and pharmaceutical industries. Results from the first year will be communicated to members by webcast. 12/31/11 Future Year Products Air Cooling Evaluation - Year Two: This project is the final year of a study to critically review existing and proposed advanced cooling technologies, from those that are still in the conceptual stage to those that have already been implemented. Special attention will be paid to energy and dollar costs, strengths, and limitations. For those technologies still in the conceptual stage, time and dollars needed to bring to demonstration will be estimated, as well as critical technical challenges to successful implementation. The project will also review air cooling approaches being used and studied in other industries, such as the computer, electronics, petrochemical, and pharmaceutical industries. Improved Air Cooling - Year One: This project is the first year of a three-year study. Through an RFP process, one or more contractors will be chosen to conduct experimental and/or theoretical studies to prove the most promising advanced concepts chosen from the air cooling evaluation product completed the previous year. 12/31/12 Report 12/31/13 Water Availability and Use - Program 55 p. 5
P55.003 Non-traditional Water Use (070655) Key Research Question Thermoelectric power plants need sufficient water supplies to meet generation demands. Most of the water used by thermoelectric power plants is fresh water. Power companies are experiencing growing pressure to reduce their freshwater use. One strategy for accomplishing this goal is to use nontraditional sources of water, such as sewage treatment plant discharge, saline groundwater, water produced in association with oil and gas extraction, agricultural runoff, and stormwater runoff. There is also potential for generating plants to recycle their own water waste streams. The use of nontraditional water sources may require pre- or post-use water treatment, reduction of cycles of concentration, or, in the case of retrofits, replacement of existing cooling system materials. Hence, nontraditional waters have energy and dollar costs associated with their use that go beyond those for freshwater use. There is a need to create and test new technologies to decrease these costs. Research needs include improving desalination systems by increased membrane transport efficiencies, increased salt rejection, decreased membrane scaling and fouling, and improved semipermeable membranes for forward osmosis. By creating new knowledge bases and developing and testing new technologies, this project provides guidelines, strategies, tools, and information for use, and for dollar- and energy-cost optimization, of nontraditional water sources to meet water conservation requirements of permits, regulations, and policies. The project addresses siting and construction of new plants and retrofitting of existing plants. This project is closely integrated with the supplemental project on advanced cooling technologies. The supplemental project focuses on technologies that are far advanced with respect to development and are either ready or nearly ready for demonstration. The nontraditional water use project focuses on technologies that are in the discovery or earlydevelopment stages. Impact Reduces impacts of nontraditional water sources on power plant performance and O&M costs Expedites permitting by providing guidelines, tools, strategies, and information for the use and optimization of nontraditional water sources to meet water conservation requirements Creates and develops innovative freshwater-conserving technologies for use at thermoelectric power plants How to Apply Results Power company environmental and generation staff will apply project results to evaluate the use of nontraditional water sources to reduce water consumption for cooling and other power plant needs, thus reducing vulnerability to future water shortages. Discovery, proof-of-concept, and demonstration studies will be conducted with cooperating members. U.S. Department of Energy and vendor cost sharing will be solicited. Workshops and webcasts will be held to foster communication of results to members, vendors, and government agencies. 2011 Products Stormwater Use Case Studies - Year One: This project is the first year of a two-year study. The study will use results from an earlier EPRI study on stormwater characterization, effluent limits, treatment, and reuse to assess stormwater use at specific power plants. Case studies will be chosen to represent different geographical regions and different generation types. 12/31/11 Water Availability and Use - Program 55 p. 6
Future Year Products Stormwater Use Case Studies - Year Two: This project is the second year of a two-year study. The study will use results from an earlier EPRI study on stormwater characterization, effluent limits, treatment, and reuse to assess stormwater use at specific power plants. Case studies will be chosen to represent different geographical regions and different generation types. Innovative Desalination Technologies - Year One: This project is the first year of a three-year study. Through an RFP process, one or more contractors will be chosen to conduct experimental and/or theoretical studies to prove the most promising advanced concepts with respect to desalination and recycling systems, including such topics as reducing energy and dollar costs, and membrane fouling. 12/31/12 Report 12/31/13 P55.004 Integrated Engineering/Economic Analyses (070656) Key Research Question Rapidly growing demand for clean, fresh water, coupled with the need to protect and enhance the environment, have made many areas of the United States vulnerable to water shortages. Water and energy shortages can occur relatively suddenly and can have adverse impacts on local and regional economies. There are existing technologies related to air cooling, water recycling, nontraditional water use, and thermal conversion efficiency improvement that can be applied today to increase power plant water use efficiency and overall water conservation; however, these technologies have significant energy and dollar costs, as well as other issues. Research is being conducted by EPRI and other organizations to create, develop, and demonstrate new technologies that will reduce costs and limitations and improve performance (see projects 55.002 and 55.003). Technology performance and cost are dependent on location and plant type; hence there is a research need to create a technology tool box that allows members to compare relative water saving technology strengths and weaknesses for specific applications, for both new plants and retrofits. Research is also needed to evaluate gains in energy efficiency that can be achieved by improving water use efficiencies in economic and social sectors other than the electric power sector. The project provides data, information, and tools to conduct comparative engineering/economic evaluations of power plant water-conserving technologies for specific applications. This work involves creation and testing of web-based reference material and analytic methods to provide engineering reliability and lifetime and economic evaluations that consider capital, operating, and maintenance costs. Consideration is also given to ease and cost of retrofit as anticipated technological advances occur. Web-based references will collect information on not only energy sector water-conserving technologies and strategies but also water-conserving technologies and strategies of other sectors and the energy saving associated with these technologies and strategies. Impact Based on site characteristics and generation technology, evaluates comparative strengths and weaknesses of alternative water-conserving technologies Provides guidance for intersector collaboration to increase energy and water use efficiencies How to Apply Results Power company environment, generation, and planning staff will extract information from project reports, papers, issue briefs, and presentation material. This information will also be disseminated to community water resource stakeholders and government agencies. Members will use results to support decision making with respect to selecting technologies to improve water use efficiency and reduce freshwater use. Members will use Water Availability and Use - Program 55 p. 7
results to guide design of new generation and retrofitting of existing generation. In addition, EPRI will facilitate broader use and awareness of the results by presenting webcasts; briefing key stakeholders, including EPA and state agencies; developing materials for the trade press/media and the public; and continuing service on various government, academic, and professional organization advisory panels. 2011 Products Water-Saving Technology Summary Reference - Year One: This project is the first year of a study to design and create a web-based resource providing members and the public with all of the current information on cost, optimization, and operational and maintenance issues related to the use of advanced cooling and freshwater conservation techniques in electricity generation. This reference will provide members and other stakeholders with the latest information in design, case studies, new technologies, guidance, and cost-benefit analysis support. 12/31/11 Future Year Products Water-Saving Technology Summary Reference - Year Two: The web-based resource will summarize all of the current information on cost, optimization, and operational and maintenance issues related to the use of advanced cooling and freshwater conservation techniques in electricity generation. This reference will provide members and other stakeholders with the latest information in design, case studies, new technologies, guidance, and cost-benefit analysis support. Model Water Efficient Generation Stations - Year One: This project is the first year of a two-year study. The water-saving technology summary reference will be used to design highly water efficient alternative model power plants for specific geographical areas and generation types. The results of the first year's research will be communicated to members by webcast. 12/31/12 12/31/13 Water Availability and Use - Program 55 p. 8