Alternative Water Resources for Utility-scale Solar Energy Development

Abstract

Electricity generated from solar energy continues to increase throughout the United States, and several states in the southwestern United States are interested in the development of utility-scale solar energy to meet their established renewable energy portfolios. Water use by utility-scale solar facilities can be quite significant for some technologies, however, which is problematic considering that the best location for solar energy development—the southwestern United States—tends to be an arid environment. The goal of this study was to examine the feasibility of using alternative water resources (reclaimed wastewater and produced water in this study) to meet water demands for utility-scale solar energy development, focusing specifically on Solar Energy Zones (SEZs) and Competitive Renewable Energy Zones (CREZs). Our results indicate that, on average, 100% of the projected demand for water at most SEZs and CREZs could be met by reclaimed wastewater if photovoltaics (PV) are installed. If concentrating solar power (CSP) is installed, fewer SEZs could meet their potential water demand from alternative sources. Only 10 of the CREZs were located near sources of produced water, but of those, 100% of the water demand at the CREZ was met in 8 cases, regardless of the technology installed. Overall, the results from this analysis indicate that alternative waters can play a prominent role in meeting water demand at solar zones in the arid southwest.