Water Demand for Energy to Double by 2035

[IDemo]

The amount of fresh water consumed for world energy production is on track to double within the next 25 years, the International Energy Agency (IEA) projects.

And even though fracking—high-pressure hydraulic fracturing of underground rock formations for natural gas and oil—might grab headlines, IEA sees its future impact as relatively small.

By far the largest strain on future water resources from the energy system, according to IEA's forecast, would be due to two lesser noted, but profound trends in the energy world: soaring coal-fired electricity, and the ramping up of biofuel production.

If today's policies remain in place, the IEA calculates that water consumed for energy production would increase from 66 billion cubic meters (bcm) today to 135 bcm annually by 2035.

[FBaggins]

1. What are they including for biofuel?

Because if it's the rain that falls on growing fields... I don't think that matters as much as water that's removed from fresh water supplies.

[wtmusic]

2. Assuming things continue to get hotter and drier

there will be more of this



All of the prime agricultural land is already spoken for.

[Nihil]

3. The first time I flew over the US I wondered what those things were ...

It was only after getting back that I realised what that patterned landscape meant.