By: Audrey Maheu, Under the supervision of Richard Connor, Chief Scientific Officer, Unisféra and Edward McKyes, Professor, McGill University , 2010-05-01
The energy-water nexus has often been overlooked in energy talks and little attention has been given to the water implications of our energy choices. Global water consumption of current and projected energy use was estimated. The shift towards renewable energies (biomass and hydro) is likely to have important consequences on water resources due to their high water intensity. Water consumption for electricity generation will be increasing rapidly following the boom in the electric sector. Fossil energies have low water intensities but still make a large contribution to global water consumption due to their dominance of our energy system. Water intensity of different energy sources was also calculated to appreciate the influence of the extent of energy use when considering water consumption. The impact of national energy policies for development and climate change are also discussed.
Energy_demand_on_water (PDF)