Knowledge is power. We all know that using clean energy is good because it reduces our impact on the environment. But did you know that clean energy and our access to clean water are also connected in an important way? Conventional power plants are significant water users, accounting for 45 percent of total water withdrawals in the U.S. Producing the electricity you use in your home even results in more freshwater usage than all of your daily water-related tasks, like sprinkling lawns and washing dishes. Natural gas production is mentioned as a lower-emissions fossil fuel alternative to coal, but it’s important to know that producing natural gas through a process called fracking costs a lot of water. Instead, using renewable energy like wind and solar power costs almost no water at all. Knowing all this, water will hopefully become a more important factor in future energy decisions.
This article was originally published on September 21, 2015
