Tuesday, April 8, 2014

USA, California:

Which Electricity Source Will Best Weather the Drought in California? (Union of Concerned Scientists)

(Courtesy California Energy Commission)
The late-March storms in California gave the Sierra snowpack a belated boost, but the state is still bracing for dry times ahead. This was confirmed by the California Department of Water Resource’s April 1 snow survey, one of the closest watched of the year because it marks the expected end of the wet season.

But what does a snowpack only 32 percent of its normal size mean for electricity generation? Using water to generate electricity — hydropower — is an important component of California’s electricity mix. Between 2001 and 2012, hydropower from large dams averaged 14 percent of in-state generation, but annual generation varied greatly. This is not surprising: in a wet year, you get lots of hydro; in a dry year, you get little.

Since 2013 went down as the driest year on record for California, utilities have no choice but to look elsewhere for power sources this summer. There is no doubt that spending money on energy efficiency investments is cheaper than investing in new generation, but for the electricity we do need, utilities should consider drought-proof sources like solar, wind, and geothermal that won’t run out once harnessed, rather than lock us deeper into another finite and unpredictable source of fuel: natural gas.

Since we expect climate change to increase the frequency and severity of droughts in California, hedging our electricity supplies with predictable, renewable resources becomes not only an important step to combat climate change, but a smart insurance policy to keep the lights on.

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