. . . to support the nation’s future electricity demands?
Energy production today,
. . . requires a reliable, abundant, and predictable source of water,
. . . a resource that is already in short supply throughout much of the U.S. and the world.
The electricity industry is 2nd only to agriculture as the largest user of water in the United States.
Electricity production from fossil fuels and nuclear energy requires,
. . . 190,000 million gallons of water per day, accounting for
. . . 39% of all freshwater withdrawals in the nation, with
. . . 71% of that going to fossil-fuel electricity generation alone.
Coal, the most abundant fossil fuel,
. . . currently accounts for 52% of U.S. electricity generation, and
. . . each kWh generated from coal requires withdrawal of 25 gallons of water.
That means U.S. citizens,
. . . may indirectly depend upon as much water turning on the lights, and running appliances,
. . . as they directly use taking showers and watering lawns.
04-25-2015 Source: Energy-Water Nexus Overview