Estimates of Groundwater Pumping Electricity Use and Costs in California

The goal of this project was to bridge a key knowledge gap in California’s energy-water interactions: the electricity required to pump groundwater in the state. This project offers a comprehensive look at how energy and groundwater interact in California, and provides a basis for estimating energy demand for groundwater pumping in the near term under alternative climate and policy scenarios. The study is organized into four parts. The first part identifies the groundwater pumping data, as well as other information necessary to estimate the energy required to pump groundwater. The second part applies that data to estimate relevant empirical relationships between the factors that determine the energy required to pump groundwater. The fourth part surveys groundwater pumpers on their current groundwater pumping practices and assesses the barriers to and incentives for improving energy efficiency and water conservation with groundwater pumping. Finally, this report uses relationships developed during the project to estimate near-term groundwater pumping energy uses and costs across the state, under alternative climatic conditions. It further applies findings from the third part of the study to a simulation of how estimated energy and its cost could be reduced with enhanced pump-energy efficiency and water-conservation measures.

Results from the larger study enable stakeholders such as state agencies, electric utilities, water planners, and large pumped-water users to develop robust projections of the energy use and cost of groundwater pumping, as well as strategies to reduce both groundwater use and energy costs in the state. Overall, the expanded knowledge provided by the study supports more cohesive energy-water planning efforts in California, particularly in light of more frequent prolonged-drought conditions.