The Water-Energy Nexus in the Southeastern United States

Authors

Jack Gallimore Besse, Michael Eric Brendlinger, Matthew Russell Cook, Elizabeth Barbara Kelley

Sponsor

United States Department of Energy

Advisors

Creighton R. Peet, Marsha W. Rolle

Term

October – December 2012

Project Outcomes

Final Report

Abstract

Increasing energy demand and unreliable water supplies due to drought threaten thermoelectric power generation, which required large amounts of water for cooling, in the Southeastern U.S. Our IQP addressed this issue by gathering data on power plants in the region, as well as interviewing plant experts, meeting with DOE water-energy experts, and reviewing water-energy reports to gain a broad perspective of the issues and potential solutions to the problem in order to provide recommendations to mitigate the problem.