Droughts and high temperatures caused by climate change could play havoc with the electricity supply of the Western United States, say engineers in a study published in Nature Climate Change. As of 2010, more than 90 percent of America's electricity is generated by thermoelectric power stations — facilities that use heat to create electricity, from burning coal to nuclear power. Many plant like this, however, rely on water for cooling, with these facilities accounting for 45 percent of water withdrawals in 2010 (these figures are calculated every five years) — more than agriculture. If there's less water in the nation's rivers or even if that water is just hotter than normal then power stations won't be able operate at full capacity. And...
Climate change could be a threat to electricity supply in Western US
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