Water & Energy… The Hidden Link!
And why this matters to Latino Communities
By Alejandro Florez, Poder Latinx EcoPoder National Coordinator
Think about energy for a second. Close your eyes and try to imagine what energy looks like. Some of us see a bright light bulb as a symbol of electricity. Some see power grids, others even just power outlets. But what most people don’t see, or stop to think about, is water.
We’ve all heard that water is life. From our biology teachers, doctors, farmers, to our parents. It is the source of all life on earth, the most important resource we use at home. Yet, water is also used in the energy production process. When giant thermoelectric power plants burn fossil fuels, (you know, those huge plants blowing toxic fumes into the atmosphere), they produce a massive amount of heat that can only be cooled down with one thing: water.
In the United States, thermoelectric power plants withdraw 34% of all fresh water used nationwide (U.S. Geological Survey, 2019), to simply cool down their equipment. This is an absurd amount of water, considering that many Western (and now even Eastern) states face yearly drought and uncontrollable wildfires.
Some power plants have adopted a new cooling method to reduce their water consumption by 90%, called dry cooling. Traditional wet cooling methods waste water through evaporation, but dry cooling is different, they use a close-loop air cooling system, eliminating this water loss. However, this comes with a big tradeoff. According to the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), dry cooling is more expensive and less efficient, it can reduce the annual energy output of the plant by 2% and significantly impact efficiency during hot months (Which are more months with every year that passes).
Thankfully, not all is lost, there’s a third, sustainable, and more cost-efficient option: Clean energy!
Clean energy, such as solar and wind power, consume virtually no water to generate electricity. Solar panels, for example, use very small amounts of water mainly for cleaning and maintenance of the panels (U.S. Department of Energy, NREL). Their water consumption is estimated at roughly around 1 gallon per megawatt-hour of electricity produced. By contrast, power plants that burn fossil fuels are a completely different story. These plants need massive amounts of water just to be able to cool down their equipment.
Data from several studies (Macknick et al.) clearly state that coal plants use around 687 gallons per megawatt-hour of electricity produced for cooling processes. In simple terms, the way we produce energy has real-life consequences; it determines whether we protect our water resources, or put additional strains on them.
Latino families across the nation already face some of the largest energy burdens recorded, meaning rising energy costs and inefficient energy systems hit our communities first, and hardest. At the same time, many of our communities live in regions facing a growing extreme heat, worsening droughts, and unprecedented growth of data centers. But, is this sustainable?
If you answered no (which I hope you did), this World Water Day (March 22) we invite you to join Poder Latinx in fighting for clean energy solutions that protect our families and water resources! Through our “One Hot Summer” campaign, we are working across our seven key states to educate our communities about energy affordability, expand access to clean energy solutions, and ensure that the transition to clean energy protects both our wallets and our natural resources.
As you join us in this important education campaign, there are additional ways in which you can get involved: use your voice and your vote to help us build a future where clean energy powers our homes without draining our precious water.
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Sources:
Cleveland, C. (2025, July 28). What methods of electricity generation use the most water?. Boston University Institute for Global Sustainability. https://visualizingenergy.org/what-methods-of-electricity-generation-use-the-most-water/.
Water Resources Mission Area. (2019, March 1) Thermoelectric Power Water Use. USGS Science for a Changing World. https://www.usgs.gov/mission-areas/water-resources/science/thermoelectric-power-water-use#:~:text=Total%20withdrawals%20for%20thermoelectric%20power,Sources/Usage:%20Public%20Domain.
Ong, S., Campbell, C., Denholm, P., Margolis, R., & Heath, G. (n.d.). Land-Use Requirements for Solar Power Plants in the United States . U.S. Department of Energy – National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). https://docs.nlr.gov/docs/fy13osti/56290.pdf
Macknick, J., Newmark, R., Heath , G., & Hallett, K. C. (n.d.). Operational water consumption and withdrawal factors for electricity generating technologies. IOPScience. https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/7/4/045802