Industry’s water sustainability crisis

There can be no net zero without water. Water sits behind all the sectors needed for the transition: energy, chemicals and mining critical minerals. All face water risks. Rightly the focus has been on carbon, but are we overlooking water? Today’s energy sector consumes vast amounts of water: fossil energy and power sectors withdraw almost seven times as much water as they consume. Wind energy doesn’t require water to operate, but solar panels and solar thermal concentrators need water for cleaning and cooling. As a result, a concentrated solar power facility can use three times as much water as a modern gas-fired plant, so research efforts are focused on cutting that consumption.