Is Alternative Energy Really the Answer?

A

The realization amongst researchers, politicians, and civil society alike that our dependence on fossil fuels is self-destructive has prompted all eyes to turn to alternative energy. Wind power, solar power, hydropower, and similar options are touted as the answers to our modern environmental problems, with few questioning this assumption. But how sustainable are these options in reality?

B

Recent research in the US is revealing hidden deficiencies in alternative energy that have until now been overlooked or underappreciated by mainstream energy movements. One particularly disturbing drawback is their heavy reliance on water. Renewable and clean energy sources have been found to use more water than fossil fuel-powered plants, according to a recent report by the US Department of Energy.

C

The study, which analyzed the resiliency of the US’s power infrastructure to climate change, found that the biggest users of water in the US today are power plants, specifically fossil fuel and nuclear plants that generate about 90 percent of the nation’s energy. Massive amounts of water are needed to cool these plants and drive their turbines, and such uses account for nearly half of the water consumed in the country each year. These findings would seem to corroborate criticisms from alternative energy proponents, but that’s not the entire story.

D

The report further demonstrated that some of the most popular renewable and clean energy sources require even more water. Hydropower is the most obvious example, with the typical hydroelectric power plant using between 15,000 and 68,000 liters of water to generate a megawatt hour of electricity. But other alternative energy technologies depend on water indirectly as well, whether to irrigate biofuel crops or cool and wash solar panels. The average solar plant, as another example, uses about 3,000 liters per megawatt hour. In comparison, a nuclear power plant uses 2,650 liters per megawatt hour, a coal fired plant 1,900, and a natural gas plant 750.

E

In the US, where only 7 percent of the country’s power is hydroelectric and a meager 1 percent is solar, this does not yet pose a serious problem. But in the UK and the rest of Europe, where the reliance on alternative energy is almost twice as much, the report’s findings are reigniting a serious debate about the future viability of the renewable and clean energy industry. With global climate change increasing temperatures across the globe and drying out water reservoirs, in no small part resulting from our predilection for burning fossil fuels, we are left with an interesting conundrum. How to both reduce emissions and save water simultaneously could prove more challenging than once thought.

F

There are some scientists arguing for a return to wind power technology, but this has drawbacks as well. As with many types of alternative energy, wind power is weather dependent and therefore less reliable than fossil fuels or nuclear power. This results in the need for increase storage facilities, which require more electricity and water. Wind power is also criticized by animal rights activists because of the number of bird deaths caused by the giant windmills harnessing the wind power. Thus, wind seems an unlikely candidate to replace solar or hydropower.

G

The coming years will see the development of alternative energy technologies with regards to sustainability, and a focus on reducing the dependency on one of our earth’s most valuable resources: water.