Larsen, Sarah G.; Burian, Steven J. --- "Energy Requirements for Water Supply in Utah" [2011] ELECD 1030; in Kenney, S. Douglas; Wilkinson, Robert (eds), "The Water–Energy Nexus in the American West" (Edward Elgar Publishing, 2011)

Book Title: The Water–Energy Nexus in the American West

Editor(s): Kenney, S. Douglas; Wilkinson, Robert

Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing

ISBN (hard cover): 9781849809368

Section: Chapter 11

Section Title: Energy Requirements for Water Supply in Utah

Author(s): Larsen, Sarah G.; Burian, Steven J.

Number of pages: 12

Extract:

11. Energy requirements for water
supply in Utah
Sara G. Larsen and Steven J. Burian

11.1. INTRODUCTION

Utah is a stark example of a geography that lies at the confluence of three
driving forces that characterize the water­energy nexus: a rapidly growing
population, water scarcity and growing energy consumption. While Utah
is no stranger to water-related conflicts, the above stressors ­ combined
with intermittent drought and changes to local hydrology predicted by
climate science ­ could aggravate available water supplies even further,
to the point of shortage and significant environmental losses. All over the
West, water and utility managers are challenged with finding new ways to
provide energy and water where it is needed, at the right time, and for dif-
ferent uses. The lack (or shortage) of water has already become a limiting
factor in energy development, such that many plans for new power plants
have experienced delays or been shelved indefinitely (US Department of
Energy/National Energy Technology Laboratory, 2008). The alternate
relationship ­ that of energy limiting the availability of water ­ is also
constrained, but has not received as much scrutiny.
Water-related services can be highly energy efficient or they can be
energy intensive. To understand how much energy is consumed by a
water system, it is helpful to define different stages, or segments, of its life
cycle. Figure 11.1 is a conceptual diagram of the breakdown of a com-
monly occurring water supply and consumption cycle. It illustrates how
water is first gathered from ...