The Energy Department announced a new multi-million dollar partnership Monday between California and China to tackle the effects of climate change and the state’s growing drought problems.
California Gov. Jerry Brown’s administration called the announcement a big victory for the Golden State to address drought and climate change together.
“This is a great win,” said Louis Stewart, deputy director of innovation and entrepreneurship with the state Office of Business and Economic Development. “It’s an opportunity for California to further enhance the cooperation between California and China on the quest to develop innovations that will drive sustainable energy and climate solutions.”
The partnership, known as the Clean Energy Research Center for Water Energy Technologies, was announced last year when President Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping signed a bilateral agreement to combat climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, which many climate scientists blame for driving manmade global warming. The agreement was met by strong opposition from Republican lawmakers, who argue that the deal would harm the U.S. economy while giving China a free pass on emission reductions.
Monday’s announcement would require China to fork over half of the $50 million cost of creating the partnership, which will be used to develop novel technologies to allow power plants and other energy resources to reduce the amount of water used for cooling and energy production.
Power plants, even those that are renewable, require large amounts of water to operate. That has become painfully evident in California, which is experiencing several years of consecutive drought that is straining the hydro-electric dams it relies upon for its electricity.
A lead researcher for the partnership from the University of California says the new alliance with China “is particularly timely as it comes in the midst of an unprecedented drought in California.” The reseacher, professor Ashok Gadgil, said “we will be delivering important water technologies, data analyses and policies for the state, country and the world.”
The federally funded, five-year “international research consortium … tackles water-related aspects of energy production and use,” according to the Energy Department.
The consortium will be led by the University of California, Berkeley, in partnership with Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, other state and research institutions, and the utility industry.
“Addressing the impact of water resource scarcity and variability on energy systems in the U.S., China, and around the world will require collaborative efforts like [this consortium] to develop technical solutions,” Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz said. “The U.S. consortium of university, nonprofit, industry, and national laboratory partners, led by the University of California, Berkeley, will leverage cutting-edge science and technology research capabilities to ensure our collective energy and water security.”
