Roth: Okla.’s energy: hardly a ‘dry’ subject
By Jim Roth | April 25, 2011
As I write, I’m hoping the weatherman’s forecast for rain becomes a reality very soon.
I’m going to tell you something you probably already know: Oklahoma’s in the middle of a drought. If the sound of that reality isn’t bad enough, here are some numbers from the Oklahoma Water Resources Board that bring that reality into focus.
The obvious lack of rain since the beginning of the year has planted Oklahoma near the top of the list of driest states in the nation. In the last 120 days or so, Oklahoma has seen an average total of only 3.5 inches of rainfall, which is more than 5 inches less than normal. In the past year, Oklahoma has seen 8.53 inches less than normal, receiving an average of only 28.16 inches of rainfall since April 2010.
The current status of each region of the state falls somewhere on the drought scale. At one end of the spectrum, the north-central region of Oklahoma is currently tagged with “incipient drought” status and at the other end, the southeast region is at “severe drought” status. Also, all nine of the state’s climate regions are experiencing long-term dry conditions.
Had enough? Unfortunately, the U.S. Seasonal Drought Outlook through June of this year doesn’t bring any encouraging news. Nearly the entire state of Oklahoma is expected to experience a drought that will persist or intensify, at least until the summer monsoon season.
The ecological and economic impacts such conditions have on Oklahoma can be tremendous given our great agricultural heritage. Such impacts and the statistics I shared above make it clear that water is an incredibly valuable resource to Oklahoma, and that’s without a more wonky look into the state’s water appropriation policy and ongoing water rights disputes.
I’m confident, though, that we have some obvious and homegrown solutions to further our stewardship of Oklahoma’s water. Consider our state’s electricity generation sector.
Although not often addressed in routine discussions surrounding energy production, water is a necessary component in the process of converting raw fuel into electrons. Water is used in various applications in the cycle, including cooling and in removing pollutants from combustion exhaust.
The numbers surrounding water usage in electricity generation simply do not favor the dirtier fossil resources such as coal and oil. A recent U.S. Geological Survey study concluded that nuclear power uses the most fresh water due to its high heat production and necessary cooling, at an average of 400 to 720 gallons per megawatt-hour. Quite obviously, wind power uses almost no water, since its generation potential is not rooted in burning fossil fuels.
Oklahoma currently relies primarily on coal to power its generation fleet. Coal-fired generation, however, uses anywhere from 300 to 480 gal/MWh. Turbines fired with natural gas use considerably less, needing somewhere from 100 to 180 gal/MWh.
If this recent drought has you thinking that we cannot afford to squander our state’s fresh water, then you’re right. Water’s a life-sustaining resource that we all need, use and enjoy.
Jim Roth, a former Oklahoma corporation commissioner, is an attorney with Phillips Murrah P.C. in Oklahoma City, where his practice focuses on clean, green energy for Oklahoma.