By Herb Guenther and Amy Van Dyken | The Arizona Republic
(Editor’s note: Opinion pieces are posted for discussion purposes only.)
Not enough rain and snow. Dwindling reservoirs. Record heat.
Our future water supply is in jeopardy. As Arizona struggles to find solutions, there is an obvious one right above our heads. The sun. Rooftop solar power currently saves the state 768 million gallons of water a year. The potential to save more water is amazing.
Most people are not aware that it can take lots of water to generate electricity. Thermal generation, where nuclear energy, natural gas or coal are used to heat water and drive turbines, is second only to irrigation in terms of water withdrawals.
