Consumptive Water Use for U.S. Power Production

Guest Blog | December 1, 2003 | Reports and Fact Sheets

In the United States, approximately 89% of the energy produced in power plants is generated by thermoelectric systems, which evaporate water during the cooling of the condenser water (EIA 1999). Hydroelectric plants evaporate water off the surface of the reservoirs and represent approximately 9% of the total power generated in the United States. The remaining electricity is produced by wind and solar.NREL-Consumptive-Water-Use-by-Power-Plants-Dec-2003.pdf