Climate-Water-Electricity Interactions in the U.S. Under Alternative Decarbonized Futures

Conference · Thu Oct 26 04:00:00 EDT 2023

OSTI ID:2204388

Cohen, Stuart M.

The U.S. electric sector is rapidly evolving, with widespread renewable energy deployment, building and transport electrification, and nuanced decarbonization policies. Climate change influences the supply and demand for electricity by altering water resources for cooling and hydropower, thermal plant efficiencies, and heating and cooling demand. This research combines global climate model data, asset-level water and streamflow modeling, and electric sector capacity expansion modeling to study climate-water-electricity interactions across myriad future climate and electricity scenarios that consider electrification and decarbonization using renewable, hydrogen, carbon capture, and nuclear technologies. Multi-model integration leads to insights into power-water sector interactions and their impacts on grid economics and environmental outcomes.

• Research Organization: National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Grid Deployment Office
• DOE Contract Number: AC36-08GO28308; AC36-08GO28308
• OSTI ID: 2204388
• Report Number(s): NREL/PR-6A40-87728; MainId:88503; UUID:931b1165-a226-4613-8190-6774f10d5959; MainAdminID:70934
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY
GMLC
ReEDS
climate change
electricity
grid
hydropower
water