Assessing future water resource constraints on thermally based renewable energy resources in California

Abstract

In this study, we investigate the extent to which physical water resource availability constraints can limit the deployment of solar thermal and geothermal-based energy resources under future climate scenarios in California. This is accomplished by (1) calculating the water unconstrained potential capacity for solar thermal and geothermal power plants, (2) estimating the available water supply for supporting the water needs of these plants using four climate model simulations under representative concentration pathway (RCP) 8.5, and (3) determining the supportable capacity from the available water supply based on power plant cooling type. We show that regional water availability can limit the installable capacity of solar thermal resources to a range of 10.9–52.6% of solar thermal potential and geothermal resources to between 17.9% and 100% of geothermal potential, depending on cooling system and regional water demand levels by the year 2050. The limiting factor for installable capacity was driven by whether the locations of solar thermal and geothermal resources were spatially aligned with precipitation patterns, with cooling system type acting as a secondary factor. In regions with high solar thermal and geothermal potential, reducing water demand from other sectors was important for alleviating the water constraints on solar thermal and geothermal capacity and increasing total resource potential. Water conservation policies can therefore support the deployment of renewable energy resources and should be considered in future water and energy resource planning.