Saving
water with wind
Few people realize that after irrigation,
thermal generation of electricity is the next largest consumer
of water in the province of Alberta. Large quantities of water
are drawn from rivers and lakes and used in thermal power
plants to condense steam.
This heated water is then discharged
back into the environment at a much higher temperature and
as a result, a lot of that heated water quickly evaporates.
About 100 megawatts of wind generation
are installed in Alberta today. If that electricity were generated
using traditional fossil fuel technology the amount of water
used would be equivalent to the needs of a medium-sized city.
Because that electricity is generated from wind, which requires
no cooling water, the water is saved.
Wind power offers many benefits
including being renewable, avoiding greenhouse gases and perhaps
the biggest bonus from generating electricity from wind is
the huge amount of water it saves. |
