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> Energy production accounts for around 40 percent of all water withdrawals in the United States But “withdrawals” is misleading, in the case of fracking over

> Energy production accounts for around 40 percent of all water withdrawals in the United States But “withdrawals” is misleading, in the case of fracking over 93% of the water withdrawn is pumped back in according to your second reference. > Renewables consume zero gallons of water Renewable energy uses water during its manufacturing and transport to its site of final use. Solar panels and wind turbines are cleaned with water and even hydropower has a complicated relationship with water availability. It’s not true that renewables use zero gallons.

deleted 3y ago
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thelastgallon 3y ago
Yes, the joys of fracking[2]! "The presence of certain contaminants commonly found in fracking wastewater — including bromide (which can create toxic by-products) and radionuclides, as well as Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) like salts (for which conventional wastewater treatment is largely ineffective) — are of major concern not only because of the potential impacts on rivers, streams and groundwater, but also for downstream water treatment plants, where conventional treatment technologies are not equipped to deal with such contaminants. " https://www.greenpeace.org/usa/fighting-climate-chaos/issues/fracking/environmental-impacts-water https://www.greenpeace.org/usa/fighting-climate-chaos/issues... Both flowback and produced water may contain (PDF) heavy metals such as barium and lead (PDF), hydrocarbons, naturally occurring radioactive material, and incredibly high levels of salinity. Flowback and produced wastewater can also include chemical additive formulas, with volatile organic compounds (VOCs) such as benzene, ethylene glycol, methanol, and toluene. Between 2005 and 2013, the EPA identified 1,084 chemicals reported in fracking formulas: https://www.consumerreports.org/water-contamination/how-fracking-has-contaminated-drinking-water-a1256135490/ https://www.consumerreports.org/water-contamination/how-frac... Wind: on average a wind turbine should be cleaned every 5 to 7 years to achieve maximum performance[1], so 3 - 5 times total in a ~25 year lifespan. This recommendation is from a wind turbine maintenance company, of course they'll recommend these kind of services, just like dealerships recommend changing oils every 3000 miles, when reality is you don't need them that often. I can't imagine wind turbines needing any cleaning with water that rains can't do. Solar: Can't imagine anyone cleaning panels that would do a better job than rains. Most of the utility scale plants are in deserts, highly unlikely they have any water. A few utility scale plants may wash once or twice a year for better performance. [1]https://fairwindres.com/wind-industry-maintenance/turbine-cleaning/ https://fairwindres.com/wind-industry-maintenance/turbine-cl... [2] The Latest Fracking Science Finds More Serious Health Risks: https://www.nrdc.org/bio/amy-mall/latest-fracking-science-finds-more-serious-health-risks https://www.nrdc.org/bio/amy-mall/latest-fracking-science-fi...
thelastgallon 3y ago
Should I Clean my Solar Panels? "While dust and dirt settling on your panels is unavoidable, thankfully, so is rain. Even just a mild and short rain shower will do a sufficient job of cleaning the grime off your panels and will have them performing at their full potential with no effort or money spent. This is backed by a University of San Diego study where researchers looked at how much energy production was lost due to dust and grime each month during the summer drought. They found that in nearly every situation, hiring a professional to clean your panels is not worth the cost." https://www.paradisesolarenergy.com/blog/do-solar-panels-need-to-be-cleaned https://www.paradisesolarenergy.com/blog/do-solar-panels-nee...

deleted 3y ago

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thelastgallon 3y ago

Yes, the joys of fracking[2]! "The presence of certain contaminants commonly found in fracking wastewater — including bromide (which can create toxic by-products) and radionuclides, as well as Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) like salts (for which conventional wastewater treatment is largely ineffective) — are of major concern not only because of the potential impacts on rivers, streams and groundwater, but also for downstream water treatment plants, where conventional treatment technologies are not equipped to deal with such contaminants. " https://www.greenpeace.org/usa/fighting-climate-chaos/issues/fracking/environmental-impacts-water https://www.greenpeace.org/usa/fighting-climate-chaos/issues... Both flowback and produced water may contain (PDF) heavy metals such as barium and lead (PDF), hydrocarbons, naturally occurring radioactive material, and incredibly high levels of salinity. Flowback and produced wastewater can also include chemical additive formulas, with volatile organic compounds (VOCs) such as benzene, ethylene glycol, methanol, and toluene. Between 2005 and 2013, the EPA identified 1,084 chemicals reported in fracking formulas: https://www.consumerreports.org/water-contamination/how-fracking-has-contaminated-drinking-water-a1256135490/ https://www.consumerreports.org/water-contamination/how-frac... Wind: on average a wind turbine should be cleaned every 5 to 7 years to achieve maximum performance[1], so 3 - 5 times total in a ~25 year lifespan. This recommendation is from a wind turbine maintenance company, of course they'll recommend these kind of services, just like dealerships recommend changing oils every 3000 miles, when reality is you don't need them that often. I can't imagine wind turbines needing any cleaning with water that rains can't do. Solar: Can't imagine anyone cleaning panels that would do a better job than rains. Most of the utility scale plants are in deserts, highly unlikely they have any water. A few utility scale plants may wash once or twice a year for better performance. [1]https://fairwindres.com/wind-industry-maintenance/turbine-cleaning/ https://fairwindres.com/wind-industry-maintenance/turbine-cl... [2] The Latest Fracking Science Finds More Serious Health Risks: https://www.nrdc.org/bio/amy-mall/latest-fracking-science-finds-more-serious-health-risks https://www.nrdc.org/bio/amy-mall/latest-fracking-science-fi...

thelastgallon 3y ago

Should I Clean my Solar Panels? "While dust and dirt settling on your panels is unavoidable, thankfully, so is rain. Even just a mild and short rain shower will do a sufficient job of cleaning the grime off your panels and will have them performing at their full potential with no effort or money spent. This is backed by a University of San Diego study where researchers looked at how much energy production was lost due to dust and grime each month during the summer drought. They found that in nearly every situation, hiring a professional to clean your panels is not worth the cost." https://www.paradisesolarenergy.com/blog/do-solar-panels-need-to-be-cleaned https://www.paradisesolarenergy.com/blog/do-solar-panels-nee...