Larry Dale and Norm Miller

Contact: Larry Dale, 510/495-2477, lldale@lbl.gov

Role in the Energy-Water Nexus

Historically, California’s economy has relied heavily on storing surface water to provide drought insurance. The Water and Energy Technology Team (WETT) at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory proposes to: (1) advance specific elements of the framework we are developing for our California Climate/Water and Energy/Electricity Model, and (2) quantify the physical and economic sensitivities of California's water system and related energy resources to reservoir.

Research Objectives

Our initial goal has been to refine model components and provide the California Energy Commission with new information, which will have increased resilience and reduced uncertainties, on the vulnerabilities of a climate-driven system for water storage and energy/electricity pricing. Such a modeling and analysis capability can quantify the following questions.

• How should reservoir operators manage climate-dependent water storage to maximize water supplies, and what is the impact of so doing on net electricity generation?
• How should reservoir operators manage water storage to minimize net electricity generation downstream, and what is the impact of so doing on regional water supplies?
• How will increased reservoir carryover storage affect downstream water deliveries and downstream agriculture’s demands for electricity for pumping water?
• What is the likely impact of new conjunctive use programs on groundwater levels and regional electricity demands?

This study evaluates tradeoffs among water supply, supply reliability, and electricity generation for selected California river basins. The objective is to determine how best to balance these resource outputs in a period of both climate change and scarce water and energy resources.

Approach

WETT staff are developing conceptual and planning models of reservoir and aquifer management. The models will be used to evaluate options for efficiently supplying water and generating electricity in selected regions of California’s Central Valley.

Accomplishments

WETT researchers have developed a conceptual model of water storage and electricity generation for Central Valley water basins. Utilizing a stylized version of the Folsom Reservoir on the American River, we have developed a dynamic model to evaluate guidelines for protecting water supply and supply reliability.

Significance of Findings

Because this is a new project, findings to date are preliminary. The detailed information the project will provide regarding tradeoffs among water supply, supply reliability, and electricity generation can improve management of water storage and minimize the effects of future climate change and population growth.

Related Publications

Heyhoe, K., Miller, N., Dale, L., and others, 2004: Emissions Pathways, Climate Change, and Impacts on California. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, August 16.)

Dale, L.L., Whitehead, C.D., and Fargeix, A., 2004: Electricity Price and Southern California Water Supply Options. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, March.

Acknowledgements

This work is supported by the California Energy Commission and performed for the U.S. Department of Energy under Contract No. DE-AC 03-76SF00098.