Comments on: Georgia Power on Santa’s Naughty List http://itsgettinghotinhere.org/2007/12/22/georgia-power-on-santas-naughty-list/ Dispatches from the Youth Climate Movement Sun, 06 May 2012 08:12:09 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.com/ By: R Margolis http://itsgettinghotinhere.org/2007/12/22/georgia-power-on-santas-naughty-list/#comment-59342 Thu, 27 Dec 2007 00:10:49 +0000 http://itsgettinghotinhere.org/2007/12/22/georgia-power-on-santas-naughty-list/#comment-59342 The 3% value is probably for once-through cooling without cooling towers. Cooling towers evaporate a higher percentage of the water flow, but uses less water overall.

Also, water and power production are intertwined. Without electric power, water cannot be pumped or treated. After all, Lake Lanier was originally created for power production (i.e., Buford Dam) and other uses. You will not believe how many times I am asked by folks, “what a beautiful lake, why did they put a power plant there?” not realizing that the lake is artificial and was built for the power plant. :-)

]]> By: pete http://itsgettinghotinhere.org/2007/12/22/georgia-power-on-santas-naughty-list/#comment-59275 Tue, 25 Dec 2007 20:47:53 +0000 http://itsgettinghotinhere.org/2007/12/22/georgia-power-on-santas-naughty-list/#comment-59275 R Margolis – I’ve seen figures saying 33% losses through evapouration, although of course the figures vary. 3% seems very low.

In any case, to get to the power plants, the water has already left Lake Lanier and the intakes downstream, so it is still no help that the heated waste water is dumped back in the river.

Investing in distributed solar energy and other renewables, as the protest demanded, although it makes the energy corporations almost redundant, nevertheless would be the best use of the money the power corporations have.

Should the power corporations, using 68% of Georgia’s water, let Atlanta run dry?

]]> By: willie http://itsgettinghotinhere.org/2007/12/22/georgia-power-on-santas-naughty-list/#comment-59197 Mon, 24 Dec 2007 17:12:16 +0000 http://itsgettinghotinhere.org/2007/12/22/georgia-power-on-santas-naughty-list/#comment-59197 great work y’all! the band and i will see you in February

]]> By: VS http://itsgettinghotinhere.org/2007/12/22/georgia-power-on-santas-naughty-list/#comment-59106 Sun, 23 Dec 2007 17:46:39 +0000 http://itsgettinghotinhere.org/2007/12/22/georgia-power-on-santas-naughty-list/#comment-59106 Go Atlanta, go after wasteful consumption; go for conservation; follow-up your prayers with more actions. Coax the government and local councils for effective short-term and long-term actions and hold them accountable for results.

]]> By: R Margolis http://itsgettinghotinhere.org/2007/12/22/georgia-power-on-santas-naughty-list/#comment-59105 Sun, 23 Dec 2007 17:43:56 +0000 http://itsgettinghotinhere.org/2007/12/22/georgia-power-on-santas-naughty-list/#comment-59105 I stand corrected. My guess is the 3% represents evaporative losses (i.e., most cooling water from rivers and lakes goes right back into their source).

]]> By: Amy Ortiz http://itsgettinghotinhere.org/2007/12/22/georgia-power-on-santas-naughty-list/#comment-59102 Sun, 23 Dec 2007 16:14:55 +0000 http://itsgettinghotinhere.org/2007/12/22/georgia-power-on-santas-naughty-list/#comment-59102 Haha! Awesome action Georgia folks. Keep rocking it up there! :)

]]> By: Matt Leonard http://itsgettinghotinhere.org/2007/12/22/georgia-power-on-santas-naughty-list/#comment-59074 Sun, 23 Dec 2007 01:54:11 +0000 http://itsgettinghotinhere.org/2007/12/22/georgia-power-on-santas-naughty-list/#comment-59074 R Margolis – be careful when citing Wikipedia – not always the best source for information. I’m not sure where they got their 3% cite (that I assume you are quoting), but according to the most recent USGS survey of water use in 2000 – they attribute to power plants a much higher pecent of national water usage:

“Thermoelectric-power withdrawals accounted for 48 percent of total water use, 39 percent of total freshwater withdrawals for all categories, and 52 percent of fresh surface-water withdrawals.” http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/wupt.html

And regardless – looking at the national picture isn’t the appropriate angle here. Large freshwater supplies in Washington State doesn’t help Georgia at all. If 68% of Georgia’s surface water is going to fuel dirty power plants – that should be yet another prime reason to examine our energy supplies.

Water usage is also another prime reason why carbon-capture and sequestration is at best a misdirected effort, and in my opinion a deadly corporate-led deception. As we are already seeing water shortages globally, and expect to see further increases in such problems – why continue to push for a “solution” that requires even more water use?

As Colbert might put it – “We’re using lots of water to burn fossil fools that are destroying our climate and causing water shortages. I propose we use even more water to burn more fossil fuels in the name of stopping climate change and saving water!”

See my previous post on water issues and coal/CCS at: http://itsgettinghotinhere.org/2007/12/11/yet-another-reason-ccs-is-not-a-solution/

]]> By: R Margolis http://itsgettinghotinhere.org/2007/12/22/georgia-power-on-santas-naughty-list/#comment-59067 Sun, 23 Dec 2007 00:25:25 +0000 http://itsgettinghotinhere.org/2007/12/22/georgia-power-on-santas-naughty-list/#comment-59067 According to the US Geological Survey, about 3% of fresh water is used for steam-turbine power plants (including solar thermal plants that also using cooling water) in the US and 80% of fresh water is used for irrigating crops. I am not a fan of coal, but it sounds like there is more water to save from improving agriculture than going after power plants.

]]> By: Mike Ewall http://itsgettinghotinhere.org/2007/12/22/georgia-power-on-santas-naughty-list/#comment-59065 Sat, 22 Dec 2007 23:47:52 +0000 http://itsgettinghotinhere.org/2007/12/22/georgia-power-on-santas-naughty-list/#comment-59065 If anyone wants to use our Christmas Police tickets for actions like this, check out the site of S.A.N.T.A. (Sustainability Action Network and Toy Alliance) at http://www.energyjustice.net/santa/. Seth made an awesome water-focused custom version of our Christmas Police tickets. If anyone else would like to do so as well, contact me.

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