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Climate Change - It Even Affects Power Production!
Drought and rising temperatures are forcing water managers across the country to scramble for ways to produce the same amount of power from the hydroelectric grid with less water, including from behemoths such as the Hoover Dam.What was the name of that hurricane that just swept through the midwest? Isaac? Hydropower is not the only part of the nation's energy system that appears increasingly vulnerable to the impact of climate change, as low water levels affect coal-fired and nuclear power plants' operations and impede the passage of coal barges along the Mississippi River. But if we stopped burning coal, the climate would stop changing. Or would it change back to where it used to be? And when would that be? "We're trying to manage a changing climate, its impact on water supplies and our ability to generate power, all at once," said Michael L. Connor, commissioner of the Bureau of Reclamation, the Interior Department's water management agency. Producing electricity accounts for at least 40 percent of water use in the United States. Don't worry, Mike, you'll be looking for another job come January. Posted by: Bobby 2012-09-10 |
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