In the United States and Europe, at present 91\% and 78\% (ref. 1) of the total electricity is produced by thermoelectric (nuclear and fossil-fuelled) power plants, which directly depend on the availability and temperature of water resources for cooling. During recent warm, dry summers several thermoelectric power plants in Europe and the southeastern United States were forced to reduce production owing to cooling-water scarcity2, 3, 4. Here we show that thermoelectric power in Europe and the United States is vulnerable to climate change owing to the combined impacts of lower summer river flows and higher river water temperatures. Using a physically based hydrological and water temperature modelling framework in combination with an electricity production model, we show a summer average decrease in capacity of power plants of 6.3–19\% in Europe and 4.4–16\% in the United States depending on cooling system type and climate scenario for 2031–2060. In addition, probabilities of extreme (>90\%) reductions in thermoelectric power production will on average increase by a factor of three. Considering the increase in future electricity demand, there is a strong need for improved climate adaptation strategies in the thermoelectric power sector to assure futureenergy security.
%0 Journal Article
%1 vanVliet2012Vulnerability
%A van Vliet, Michelle T. H.
%A Yearsley, John R.
%A Ludwig, Fulco
%A Vogele, Stefan
%A Lettenmaier, Dennis P.
%A Kabat, Pavel
%D 2012
%I Nature Publishing Group
%J Nature Clim. Change
%K solarthermal climatechange energy renewables hydrology hydroelectricity electricitynetworks
%N 9
%P 676--681
%R 10.1038/nclimate1546
%T Vulnerability of US and European electricity supply to climate change
%U http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nclimate1546
%V 2
%X In the United States and Europe, at present 91\% and 78\% (ref. 1) of the total electricity is produced by thermoelectric (nuclear and fossil-fuelled) power plants, which directly depend on the availability and temperature of water resources for cooling. During recent warm, dry summers several thermoelectric power plants in Europe and the southeastern United States were forced to reduce production owing to cooling-water scarcity2, 3, 4. Here we show that thermoelectric power in Europe and the United States is vulnerable to climate change owing to the combined impacts of lower summer river flows and higher river water temperatures. Using a physically based hydrological and water temperature modelling framework in combination with an electricity production model, we show a summer average decrease in capacity of power plants of 6.3–19\% in Europe and 4.4–16\% in the United States depending on cooling system type and climate scenario for 2031–2060. In addition, probabilities of extreme (>90\%) reductions in thermoelectric power production will on average increase by a factor of three. Considering the increase in future electricity demand, there is a strong need for improved climate adaptation strategies in the thermoelectric power sector to assure futureenergy security.
@article{vanVliet2012Vulnerability,
abstract = {In the United States and Europe, at present 91\% and 78\% (ref. 1) of the total electricity is produced by thermoelectric (nuclear and fossil-fuelled) power plants, which directly depend on the availability and temperature of water resources for cooling. During recent warm, dry summers several thermoelectric power plants in Europe and the southeastern United States were forced to reduce production owing to cooling-water scarcity2, 3, 4. Here we show that thermoelectric power in Europe and the United States is vulnerable to climate change owing to the combined impacts of lower summer river flows and higher river water temperatures. Using a physically based hydrological and water temperature modelling framework in combination with an electricity production model, we show a summer average decrease in capacity of power plants of 6.3–19\% in Europe and 4.4–16\% in the United States depending on cooling system type and climate scenario for 2031–2060. In addition, probabilities of extreme (>90\%) reductions in thermoelectric power production will on average increase by a factor of three. Considering the increase in future electricity demand, there is a strong need for improved climate adaptation strategies in the thermoelectric power sector to assure futureenergy security.},
added-at = {2018-06-18T21:23:34.000+0200},
author = {van Vliet, Michelle T. H. and Yearsley, John R. and Ludwig, Fulco and Vogele, Stefan and Lettenmaier, Dennis P. and Kabat, Pavel},
biburl = {https://www.bibsonomy.org/bibtex/2c6898fbfe76343fe61eb523a44589cb7/pbett},
citeulike-article-id = {10762094},
citeulike-attachment-1 = {vanVliet_etal_2012.pdf; /pdf/user/pbett/article/10762094/1064098/vanVliet_etal_2012.pdf; 0be07293d843eeaf9b56b1d9b7e4b28e2a3b551d},
citeulike-linkout-0 = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nclimate1546},
citeulike-linkout-1 = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nclimate1546},
day = 03,
doi = {10.1038/nclimate1546},
file = {vanVliet_etal_2012.pdf},
interhash = {94be3cf35949aa878da06949ba815837},
intrahash = {c6898fbfe76343fe61eb523a44589cb7},
issn = {1758-678X},
journal = {Nature Clim. Change},
keywords = {solarthermal climatechange energy renewables hydrology hydroelectricity electricitynetworks},
month = jun,
number = 9,
pages = {676--681},
posted-at = {2016-01-28 19:12:04},
priority = {2},
publisher = {Nature Publishing Group},
timestamp = {2018-06-22T18:36:02.000+0200},
title = {Vulnerability of US and European electricity supply to climate change},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nclimate1546},
volume = 2,
year = 2012
}