NEW ENERGY TO MIDWEST FOR WATER?

Water woes out west -- could Michigan capitalize?
Ron Dzwonkowski, September 30, 2009 (Detroit Free Press)

"…Michigan’s economic future…[could change because] alternative energy projects in the south and west are being stalled or imperiled for lack of water.

"Gov. Jennifer Granholm and other state leaders have been touting alternative energy — mainly battery development, but also wind power and large-scale solar panels — as a cornerstone of Michigan’s next economy, the one that will have to depend much less on the auto industry and other heavy manufacturing…[Such] large, solar-powered alternative-energy systems require huge amounts of water, for cooling or washing solar panels. Since water is not exactly abundant in places such as California, Nevada and Arizona, maybe [Michigan’s] economic development officials should be sending these companies a map of our pleasant peninsulas and all that blue color surrounding them…"

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[Michael Webber, assistant professor and authority on the relationship between energy and water, University of Texas in Austin:] “When push comes to shove, water could become the real throttle on renewable energy.”

[Todd Woody, NY Times reporter, on water and New Energy:] “…[C]onflicts over water could shape the future of many energy technologies. The most water-efficient renewable technologies are not necessarily the most economical, but water shortages could give them a competitive edge…In California, solar developers have already been forced to switch to less water-intensive technologies when local officials have refused to turn on the tap. Other big solar projects are mired in disputes with state regulators over water consumption.”

Michigan has great wind and water on 3 sides. (click to enlarge)

"…[M]oving these projects to Michigan is easier said than done, since the solar-power companies working on them chose the locations they did because of abundant sunshine…But we sure do have water, and an interest in finding ways to capitalize on the resource without exporting it.

"The solar plant developers in the western states are finding that technologies requiring less water — while more palatable to residents and government officials — also increase their costs to a point that may be prohibitive. While they work on ways to get by with less water, is anyone here in water-rich Michigan working on ways they could get by with less sunshine?"