Open Access
Agua dulce para refrigeración: las necesidades hídricas de las centrales nucleares en España
(2019) Sesma Martín, Diego; Ekonomia; Institute for Advanced Research in Business and Economics - INARBE; Economía
Objetivo: hacer una primera estimación de las necesidades hídricas de las centrales nucleares españolas desde 1969 hasta 2014. El objetivo es, por tanto, calcular el uso consuntivo del agua (la cantidad de agua evaporada, transpirada o incorporada a la producción de energía) por las centrales nucleares españolas, así como la cantidad total de agua extraída y necesaria para el funcionamiento de las centrales nucleares.
Open Access
Freshwater for cooling needs: a long-run approach to the nuclear water footprint in Spain
(Elsevier, 2017) Sesma Martín, Diego; Rubio Varas, María del Mar; Ekonomia; Institute for Advanced Research in Business and Economics - INARBE; Economía
From the invention of the steam engine to the present, water has represented a significant input to the energy system, although this has been mostly ignored in the literature. In Spain, the most arid country in Europe, studies about water footprint typically just consider domestic, agricultural and industrial water uses, but water requirements for the electricity sector are omitted despite our dependence on thermal power. It has been demonstrated that for each available cooling technology, nuclear needs and consumption of water tend to be larger per MWh generated. We calculate a first approximation to the Spanish nuclear water footprint from 1969 to 2015. Our results show that while water consumed by Spanish nuclear power plants are around 3 m3 per capita/year, water withdrawals per capita/year are around 70 m3. Moreover, our analysis allows extracting conclusions focusing on a River Basins approach. What is the water impact of our nuclear power plants? Will water limit our energy future? These are some of the issues at stake.
Open Access
The weak data on the water–energy nexus in Spain
(IWA Publishing, 2019) Sesma Martín, Diego; Rubio Varas, María del Mar; Ekonomia; Institute for Advanced Research in Business and Economics - INARBE; Economía
This paper focuses on the fact that the water–energy nexus remains an irrelevant issue on the energy policy agenda and on the priorities of the energy leaders in Spain. This is a striking fact given that this takes place in the most arid country in Europe, where almost two-thirds of electricity generation would have to be halted in the absence of an adequate water supply. We contend that part of the explanation may lie in the lack of official statistics and inconsistent sources of information on the water–energy nexus in Spain. To illustrate this point, we provide examples of the uneven data available for one of the most intensive freshwater users in the thermoelectric sector in Spain: nuclear power plants. Our research demonstrates the need for improved indicators as policy instruments in the water–energy nexus in Spain since it is impossible to improve what cannot be measured.
Open Access
El papel del agua como recurso energético
(2019) Sesma Martín, Diego; Ekonomia; Institute for Advanced Research in Business and Economics - INARBE; Economía
Trabajo en el que se aborda la mutua dependencia agua-energía y el agua como fuente de producción eléctrica
Open Access
The river’s light: water needs for thermoelectric power generation in the Ebro river basin, 1969–2015
(MDPI, 2019) Sesma Martín, Diego; Ekonomia; Institute for Advanced Research in Business and Economics - INARBE; Economía
Water is essential for almost all energy processes. This paper analyses the evolution of the cooling water needs of thermal power plants in the Ebro River basin, the largest contributor to the Spanish electricity grid, over the period 1969–2015. It makes several contributions. First, the cooling water needs for the plants are estimated. Second, these water requirements are compared to other water-using activities in the region. Third, a long-term water-use efficiency analysis is carried out. Finally, water-saving measures are proposed to counter possible future water scarcities. The results show that thermoelectric water consumption per capita is around 7 m3/year. Estimated future thermal power generation water withdrawals (around 500 m3 per capita/year) might compromise flows for other water uses in periods of drought.
Open Access
The use of water for power generation in the most arid country in Europe: the thermoelectric water footprint in Spain
(2019) Sesma Martín, Diego; Rubio Varas, María del Mar; Economía; Ekonomia
Esta tesis es un compendio de tres trabajos finalizados y publicados durante mi periodo como estudiante de doctorado. El primer trabajo muestra evidencia de la falta de estadísticas oficiales y la inconsistencia entre las diferentes fuentes de información que contienen información sobre las necesidades hídricas para producción de energía eléctrica de las centrales nucleares en España. La mejora de estos indicadores daría como resultado una mejor estimación de las necesidades de agua dulce para la generación de energía térmica y una mejor comprensión de esta problemática. El segundo artículo ofrece una estimación a largo plazo de las necesidades de agua dulce de las centrales nucleares españolas, las centrales más sedientas del sector termoeléctrico español, durante el período 1969-2014. El último artículo profundiza más en esta cuestión, analizando la evolución de los volúmenes de agua necesarios para producción de electricidad de las centrales nucleares y resto de térmicas convencionales ubicadas en la cuenca del Ebro, el mayor contribuyente a la generación eléctrica española. Todos estos resultados pretenden cubrir parte del vacío existente en la literatura española sobre el nexo agua-energía.
Open Access
Agua dulce para refrigeración: una visión a largo plazo de la huella hídrica de las centrales nucleares en España
(2016) Sesma Martín, Diego; Rubio Varas, María del Mar; Ekonomia; Institute for Advanced Research in Business and Economics - INARBE; Economía
Objectives: our research pioneers a first approximation to the water footprint of the Spanish nuclear power plants operating with freshwater from 1969 to the present. Our aim is to calculate the consumptive use of water (i.e. the amount of water evaporated, transpired, or incorporated in energy production) for Spanish nuclear power plants, and the amounts of water withdrawals required for running nuclear power plants. To sum up, what is the water impact of our nuclear power plants? Will water limit our energy future? Should water be considered when planning the electricity mix in the future? These are some of the questions to solve.
Open Access
Agua para producción termoeléctrica en la Cuenca del Ebro, 1969-2015
(2019) Sesma Martín, Diego; Ekonomia; Institute for Advanced Research in Business and Economics - INARBE; Economía
Este estudio evalúa las necesidades de agua para la generación de energía termoeléctrica en la Cuenca del Ebro. Mediante el cálculo de las demandas y consumos de agua para generación termoeléctrica en la región, este estudio profundiza en el conocimiento sobre el nexo agua-energía y cubre buena parte del vacío existente en la literatura sobre este tema en España.
Open Access
Water as an economic asset: the history of water management and conflict in Spain
(2018) Sesma Martín, Diego; Ekonomia; Institute for Advanced Research in Business and Economics - INARBE; Economía
Objectives: this ongoing work is part of a more extensive doctoral thesis which aims to provide an estimate of water needs for thermoelectric production in Spain covering the entire electrical history from 1900 to the present. In this context, this paper seeks to highlight the main role of water within the Spanish history, observing how water management and institutions in Spain have changed over the long term to understand the causes of water conflicts, and finally, focusing on all those possible conflicts rarely discussed in the literature.