Endangered Waters - Greenpeace

Endangered Waters
Greenpeace India
61
Solar systems on
the roof at Tripolia
Hospital, Patna
and power, run-of-river hydro, and ocean
energy. These technologies are also essential
for controlling the growth of greenhouse
gas emissions, as well as for limiting the
escalation of electricity prices and fuel import
bills in the long term. Figure 8 shows the
water consumption levels of various power
generation technologies.
These renewable energy technologies are no
longer a promise of the future, but increasingly
the mainstay of power generation investments.
The total output from wind and solar power
plants installed globally by the end of 2011 is
equal to the combined electricity consumption
of Australia and Brazil. New renewable energy
power plants accounted for 30% of additional
power generation globally in 2010. In Europe,
renewable energy has delivered more than half
of new electric output since 2007. Over 10,000
wind power plants were installed in 2011
alone: enough to power six megacities the
size of Paris. India recorded the fastest growth
in renewable energy investment among G20
countries in 2011, installing enough wind and
solar power to match the annual consumption
of 12 million of its citizens.
The potential of these energy choices is
illustrated by the Energy [R]evolution scenario,
a comprehensive global energy roadmap
published by Greenpeace, the Global Wind
Energy Council (GWEC) and the European
Renewable Energy Council (EREC). In the
scenario, almost half of India’s power would be
provided by technologies with low-to-no water
Figure 10: Water requirements for thermal power generation and associated coal mining in three scenarios
25
Coal-fired power
Coal mining
Other thermal power
20
Nuclear power
Solar thermal
Billion cubic metres
15
10
5
0
1990
2009
2030 REF
2030 High coal
2030 E[R]
The reference scenario is that of the IEA; the high coal scenario one in which all currently-proposed coal-fired power plants are
built, replacing other generation; and the E[R] is Greenpeace’s Energy [R]evolution scenario. The difference in water requirements
between the high coal and Energy [R]evolution scenarios is 18 billion cubic metres, enough to grow rice for 70 million people or
provide 360 million urban dwellers with an adequate water supply.