Photo retrieved from: www.nationalgeographic.com
“We don’t think much about water when we flick on a light, power up our computer, or open the fridge for a drink. But there’s some H20 hiding behind every activity that uses energy – which, of course, includes almost everything we do.
In fact, the single biggest draw on U. S. rivers and lakes is not toilets, golf courses, or even irrigated farms. It’s thermal power plants that generate electricity to light our homes and cities, run appliances and factories, and generally keep our plugged-in society humming.
Thermoelectric generation accounts for 49 percent of the water withdrawn from the nation’s water sources, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. On average it takes about 23 gallons of water to produce 1 kilowatt-hour of electricity. That means a typical refrigerator can use 40 gallons of water a day – not at your home, but at the power plant that produces your electricity.
Thermal power plants – fueled by coal, oil, natural gas, or uranium – boil water to produce steam, which then drives a turbine to generate electricity. These fossil fuel and nuclear plants produce about 90 percent of the electricity used in the United States.”
Read more: National Geographic
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