Californias Water Energy Relationship

Author : Matthew Earl Bates
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9781124508320
Total Pages : pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (83 download)

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Download or read book Energy Use in California Wholesale Water Operations written by Matthew Earl Bates and published by . This book was released on 2010 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This thesis explores the effects of future water and social conditions on energy consumption in the major pumping and generation facilities of California's interconnected water-delivery system, with particular emphasis on the federally owned Central Valley Project, California-owned State Water Project, and the large locally owned systems in Southern California. Anticipated population growth, technological advancement, climatic changes, urban water conservation, and restrictions of through-Delta pumping will together affect the energy used for water operations and alter statewide water deliveries in complex ways that are often opposing and difficult to predict. Flow modeling with detailed statewide water models is necessary, and the CALVIN economic-engineering optimization model of California's interconnected water-delivery system is used to model eight future water-supply scenarios. Model results detail potential water-delivery patterns for the year 2050, but do not explicitly show the energy impacts of the modeled water operations. Energy analysis of flow results is accomplished with the UC Davis General Energy Post-Processor, a new tool for California water models that generalizes previous efforts at energy modeling and extends embedded-energy analysis to additional models and scenarios. Energy-intensity data come from existing energy post-processors for CalSim II and a recent embedded-energy-in-water study prepared by GEI Consultants and Navigant Consulting for the California Public Utilities Commission. Differences in energy consumption are assessed between modeled scenarios, and comparisons are made between data sources, with implications for future water and energy planning strategies and future modeling efforts. Results suggest that the effects of climate warming on water-delivery energy use could be relatively minimal, that the effects of a 50% reduction in Delta exports can be largely offset by 30% urban water conservation, and that a 30% conservation in urban water use can produce energy savings of over 40%, from the base case. Results also show that refining estimates of future Delta export and urban water conservation levels is necessary to increase confidence in energy-related planning and investment. Sensitivity analyses suggest that the compared energy-intensity data are highly interchangeable, and using data combined from multiple sources is preferable to include more facilities without skewing results.