Energy Environmental Blog

HF Uses Less Water Than Coal Power Plants

Written by Greg Russell | Jan 5, 2014 4:08:45 PM

A recent article at Environmental Leader starts off:  "Transitioning from coal to natural gas in Texas for electricity generation is saving water and making the state less vulnerable to drought, according to a University of Texas at Austin study published this month in the journal Environmental Research Letters."  More?  "The researchers estimate that water saved by shifting a power plant from coal to natural gas is 25 to 50 times as great as the amount of water used in fracking to extract the natural gas. Natural gas also enhances drought resilience by providing so-called peaking plants to complement increasing wind generation, which doesn’t consume water."

For a copy of the University of Texas study, see here.