Well, it's official -- the U.S. government has acknowledged that the U.S. is in the worst drought in over 50 years, since December 1956, when about 58 percent of the contiguous U.S. was in moderate to extreme drought.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration National Climatic Data Center's "State of the Climate Drought July 2012" report,
"Based on the Palmer Drought Index, severe to extreme drought affected about 38 percent of the contiguous United States as of the end of July 2012, an increase of about 5 percent from last month... About 57 percent of the contiguous U.S. fell in the moderate to extreme drought categories (based on the Palmer Drought Index) at the end of July... According to the weekly U.S. Drought Monitor, about 63 percent of the contiguous U.S. (about 53 percent of the U.S. including Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico) was classified as experiencing moderate to exceptional (D1-D4) drought at the end of July."
Michael Webber, associate director of the Center for International Energy and Environmental Policy at the University of Texas at Austin, is under no such illusions, stating that the summer's record high heat and drought have worked together to overtax the nation's electrical grid, adding that families use more water to power their homes than they use from their tap. Webber said, "In summer you often get a double whammy. People want their air-conditioning and drought gets worse. You have more demand for electricity and less water available to produce it. That is what we are seeing in the Midwest right now, power plants on the edge."
In July U.S. nuclear-power production hit its lowest seasonal levels in nine years as drought and heat forced Nuclear power plants from Ohio to Vermont to slow output. Nuclear Regulatory Commission spokesman David McIntyre explained, "Heat is the main issue, because if the river is getting warmer the water going into the plant is warmer and makes it harder to cool. If the water gets too warm, you have to dial back production," McIntyre said. "That's for reactor safety, and also to regulate the temperature of discharge water, which affects aquatic life."
Nuclear is the thirstiest power source. According to the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) in Morgantown, West Virginia, the average NPP that generates 12.2 million megawatt hours of electricity requires far more water to cool its turbines than other power plants. NPPs "need 2,725 liters of water per megawatt hour for cooling. Coal or natural gas plants need, on average, only 1,890 and 719 liters respectively to produce the same amount of energy."
And oh, the National Weather Service Climate Prediction Center in its 16 August "U.S. Seasonal Drought Outlook" wrote, "The Drought Outlook valid through the end of November 2012 indicates drought conditions will remain essentially unchanged in large sections of the central Mississippi Valley, the central and southwestern Great Plains, most of the High Plains, the central Rockies, the Great Basin, and parts of the Far West..." The lack of rain and the incessant heat, has also increased the need for irrigation water for farming, meaning increasing competition between the agricultural and power generation sectors for the same shrinking water "pool."
But, every cloud has a silver lining. California's Pacific Gas and Electric Co. utility, commonly known as PG&E, that provides natural gas and electricity to most of the northern two-thirds of California, from Bakersfield almost to the Oregon border, is on the case. PG&E has informed its customers that its "Diablo Canyon (nuclear) Power Plant, the largest source of generation in the utility's service area, is cooled by ocean water, not by rivers that could dry up."
Never mind the fact that by the time the Diablo Canyon NPP was completed in 1973, engineers discovered that it was several miles away from the Hosgri seismic fault, which had a 7.1 magnitude earthquake on 4 November 1927.
But ocean water as a coolant is not necessarily the answer either.
On 12 August Dominion Resources' Millstone NPP, situated on Connecticut's Niantic Bay on Long Island Sound, was forced to shut down one of two reactor units because seawater used to cool down the plant was too warm, averaging 1.7 degrees above the NRC limit of 75 degrees Fahrenheit. The Millstone NPP, which provides half of all power used in Connecticut and 12 percent in New England, was only restarted 12 days later.
The federal government is hardly known for its scaremongering tactics, but it would seem that Mother Nature is forcing Americans to belatedly consider making some lifestyle changes, as the choice seems to be devolving into energy conservation, turning down the air conditioner and digging deeper into the wallet for food costs.
It might also be time for serious national discussion about renewable energy, including wind and solar.
If the sun stops shining, all bets are off.
By. John C.K. Daly
Cross posted with Oilprice.com
John C.K Daly is the chief analyst at the energy news site Oilprice.com. Dr. Daly received his Ph.D. in 1986 from the School of Slavonic and East European Studies, University of London.
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Lateral moves from one giant, wilderness-killing Chevron energy to another giant, wilderness-killing Chevron energy is a net loss for the planet, democracy and the economy. We have a rare opportunity to not only diversify and strengthen our grid, but to democratize it while improving our economy exponentially, but it depends entirely on the proven solution of feed in tariffs so that regular families and businesses who install rooftop/parking lot solar onsite, are paid fairly for that local, high-value power.
This simple, extremely successful solution will not only lower energy prices for everyone, but will create more and better-paid (safer) jobs, will improve slumping property values, will increase energy conservation and efficiency and will inject literally BILLIONS of dollars INTO communities that currently see those billions being sucked out by Big Energy.
We are at a crossroads here, will we choose to re-enslave ourselves to the Big Energy mercenaries, or will we choose democracy, efficiency, responsibility and affordability?
Got Water? Nuclear Power Plant Cooling Water Needs
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Radioactive spikes at nuclear power plants
NY power plants destroy fish populations
Peter Wadhams, professor of ocean physics at Cambridge University, warns CO2 levels are rising at a faster than exponential rate
A leading British academic has called for accelerated research into futuristic geo-engineering and a worldwide nuclear power station "binge" to avoid runaway global warming.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/sep/09/climate-change-expert-calls-for-nuclear-power-boost
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/09/120909150446.htm
It takes leadership, and the willingness of Big Oil to diversify before they drain the last drop of oil from the earth's crust.
Renewables cheaper than coal, Michigan regulators say « Midwest Energy News
SPECIAL REPORT: U.S. EIA Data Provides State Renewable Power Generation & Price Scoreboard | Terry McDonald
Development of nuclear batteries for cars and trucks will reduce our co2 output by 85% and break our dependence on foreign oil.
Now cost it all out, and get back to us.
That's like running into someone who wants to start a discussion group to consider whether it is possible to build an unsinkable ship, after the ship has hit the iceberg and has a 20 degree list.
What we need is a WWII type austerity of the kind that comes from taxing the 70% so that the unempolyed can be re-employed in making solar crystals and installing rooftop solar etc. while a conservation corp lowers energy use. We need a public who sees climate change as a full blown civilization ending crisis that requires us all to pitch in, especially the upper 30%, who are supposed to be the "brightest and best". "To those who are given much, much is required."
Good luck with finding some venture capitalist dumb enough for that one....
Wind power increasingly competitive and productive, new reports find