CEC & DWR Address Water's Energy Use

State energy and water policy makers have teamed up to curb electricity use by California water agencies and consumers. Officials project that water-related energy use could nearly double by 2015 without significant conservation and efficiency measures. The water sector accounted for more than 10 percent of the electricity used statewide in 2001. It currently consumes more than 28,000 GWh annually for water supply, treatment, end use, and irrigation pumping. However, that figure sharply underestimates the amount of electricity used in groundwater pumping for irrigation, which accounts for most of the sector's demand, California Energy Commission officials conceded. There are few data on irrigation pumping, but it could add another 6,000 GWh to the state's current water-related power usage. At a June 21 workshop, the CEC received input from industry leaders on two white papers-Water-Energy Relationship and Potential Changes in Hydropower Production from Global Climate Change in California and the Western United States. The papers were done in collaboration with the California Department of Water Resources as part of the CEC's 2005 Integrated Energy Policy Report. The two agencies plan to establish an information clearinghouse on water-energy nexus issues, including new regulations on water and wastewater treatment, recycled water systems, conservation, efficiency measures, and peak-load reduction. "The more work we do, the more we recognize water and energy are intertwined," said Marianne Dickinson of the California Urban Water Conservation Council. The council is composed of 189 water agencies in the state. The report identified significant opportunities to reduce energy usage in the water sector through efficiency measures, particularly among commercial, industrial, and institutional water users. Energy demand in the state's water sector could substantially decrease if prudent policy decisions were made to promote efficiency and conservation, noted Bob Wilkinson, a water policy analyst at the University of California at Santa Barbara. Agriculture consumes up to 4,500 MW of California's peak summer demand and is constricted from shifting to off-peak because of irrigation system limitations. By contrast, urban water and wastewater facilities together account for about 3,000 MW of peak power usage, 1,800 MW of that in Southern California, CEC officials said. Ironically, water and energy conservation objectives are often at cross-purposes. Water storage facilities, drip irrigation systems, and recycled water pumping conserve water but require more electric power to operate. Farmers are converting diesel-powered agricultural pumps to electric pumps to reduce air pollution, which increases their on grid electricity use. In addition, more stringent treatment requirements, water market transactions, conjunctive-use pumping, increased drip irrigation, desalination plants, and recycled water systems together could result in 17,000 GWh of new energy demand by 2015, CEC officials said. Two-thirds of this new power demand will come from Southern California, which relies on imported water from the Colorado River and the Sierra, requiring more power for conveyance. By contrast, San Francisco's Hetch Hetchy system uses zero power for conveyance because gravity carries the water down from the High Sierra to Bay Area users. Climate change also affects water-related energy usage in California, CEC officials warned. Warming trends result in heavier rainfall and less snow, reducing runoff into mountain reservoirs and surface-water delivery while increasing reliance on groundwater pumping. California relies heavily on hydropower, which constitutes on average 15 percent of the electricity used in the state. California has more than 14,000 MW of hydroelectric capacity, one-fourth of the in-state generation. Hydropower provided 29,000 GWh, or 13 percent of in-state power, in 2004, predominantly during peak periods. Significant energy savings could be achieved by adopting modest regulatory changes and technologies such as time-of-use water meters and tariffs like those for electricity and gas, officials said. "We think there's a tremendous opportunity" for peak-load reductions in the water sector, said CEC project manager Matt Trask. "Almost immediately we can reduce peak use by 250 to 350 MW. By building in flexibility, it can easily be three to four times that amount." Water officials echoed that assessment. Water agencies have the potential to shift 1,500 MW from their on-peak summer demand, which totals 2,800 MW, said Lon House, Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA) consultant. "We have a lot of generation available and a lot of demand response available." However, this may be offset by a projected 3,500 MW of new on-peak demand by water agencies over the next decade, he warned. ACWA member agencies are currently curtailing 1,400 MW and could easily curtail an additional 250 MW of on-peak demand, House said. He stressed that time-of-use water meters "which currently don't exist" are critical to providing incentives for customers to shift their on-peak usage to off-peak times. "If we didn't have time-of-use meters on the electricity side, we couldn't manage electric use." Some water agencies have sought to adopt energy conservation programs but have faced resistance from utilities that want to see guaranteed energy savings up front before passing on ratepayer funds earmarked for energy conservation, according to House. Water agencies for their part are reluctant to invest in the hardware and staffing needed to shift on-peak demand if it's not a multiyear program so they can recoup their investments. Utilities also have declined to fund water-storage systems as energy-conservation measures, claiming they are needed for water storage anyway. "In the past we haven't been allowed to mix water and energy conservation," House said. However, storing water costs agencies money to pay for installing additional sensors and controls and hiring more staff, House added. Moreover, water-storage tanks on hills could generate hydropower if reversible pumps were installed, thereby increasing capacity. The Metropolitan Water District in Southern California wants to partner with the CEC, DWR, and other water agencies to develop and implement new efficiency standards for both energy and water, said Metropolitan?s Christiana Gruber. Metropolitan Water has established a $15 million annual consumer rebate program for energy and water conservation. "We need competitively priced stable energy supplies to provide affordable water," she stressed. The Department of Energy is developing a national road map for energy and water conservation, said Elizabeth Burton of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, one of 11 national labs participating in the study. The Energy Commission can make a significant input into the DOE?s report to Congress, she said. "Congress has been awakened to the nexus between water and energy. This interdependence may be a critical factor in U.S. energy policy."

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