Climate Change & Energy Vulnerability

A really interesting study was published in Nature Climate Change this week, assessing the vulnerability of energy production to climate change.

The research by van Vilet et al. (2016), highlighted that the projected impact of climate change on water availability is in turn likely to impact power stations requiring water for energy production. This covers hydropower plants as well as traditional thermoelectric plants (ie. fossil fuel or biomass burning plants and nuclear power stations) which require water for cooling. Collectively, these power stations contribute to 98% of global electricity generation. 

The study outlines that by the end of the century there is likely to be a worldwide reduction in usable capacity of 81-86% for traditional power stations and 61-74% for hydropower stations. This would result in mean annual decrease of 7-12% of electricity from traditional stations and 1-4% from hydropower stations. 

Hydropower plants have already tried methods to prevent water loss, with California testing a number of new methods to adapt to the prolonged and severe drought currently taking place. One such method is the release of black 'shade balls' into hydropower reservoirs to cover the water and reduce evaporation. 

'Shade Balls' covering a reservoir in California
Source: National Geographic

Adaptation of traditional plants is also likely to happen to ensure less water is required and wasted in the energy production process. However instead of spending time and financial resources adapting power plants to continue burning fossil fuels, these resources would be better spent investing in renewable technologies that don't release the emissions that caused this issue in the first place.