Table 2. Water consumption reported volumes for different fuels and cooling technologies (Gleick 1994, Goldstein and Smith 2002a, Woods et al. 2007, National Renewable Energy Laboratory 2008). Air-cooling requires negligible water and is compatible with all of the technologies listed.
| |
| |
|
|
Cooling Technologies – Water Consumption (L [MWh]-1)† |
|
|
|
|
Open-Loop |
Closed-Loop Reservoir |
Closed-Loop Cooling Tower |
Hybrid Cooling |
Air-Cooling |
| |
|
Coal |
1100 |
1500
(±400) |
1800 |
between |
200
(±40) |
|
Nuclear |
1500 |
2400
(±850) |
2700 |
between |
200
(±40) |
|
Natural Gas Combustion Turbine |
negligible |
negligible |
negligible |
negligible |
negligible |
|
Natural Gas Combined-Cycle |
400 |
500‡
(±80) |
700 |
between |
200‡
(±40) |
|
Integrated Gasification Combined-Cycle |
not used |
not used |
1300‡
(±400) |
between |
200‡
(±40) |
|
Concentrated Solar Power |
not used |
not used |
3200
(±300) |
between |
300‡
(±40) |
|
Wind |
none |
none |
none |
none |
none |
|
Photovoltaic Solar |
none |
none |
none |
none |
none |
|
| |
†L [MWh] -1): liters per megawatt-hour
‡Estimated based on withdrawal and consumption
ratios
|