Running two computer models in tandem, scientists from the
University of New Hampshire have detailed for the first time how thermoelectric
power plants interact with climate, hydrology, and aquatic ecosystems
throughout the northeastern U.S. and show how rivers serve as “horizontal cooling
towers” that provide an important ecosystem service to the regional electricity
sector — but at a cost to the environment.
The analysis, done in collaboration with colleagues from the
City College of New York (CCNY) and published online in the current journal
Environmental Research Letters, highlights the interactions among electricity
production, cooling technologies, hydrologic conditions, aquatic impacts and
ecosystem services, and can be used to assess the full costs and tradeoffs of
electricity production at regional scales and under changing climate
conditions.