A report published by the European Wind Energy Association highlights the fact that that traditional power stations use vast amounts of water to generate power - and calls for this to be taken into account by governments when they set energy and climate change policy.
EWEA's report – Saving water with wind energy – estimates that nuclear, coal and gas-fired power stations in Europe use 4.5 billion cubic metres of water a year, mainly for cooling purposes.
The study warns that "such plants are contributing to Europe's water scarcity, whereas wind energy uses hardly any water to generate clean electricity." EWEA is urging European heads of government meeting on 20-21 March to take this into account when they formulate energy and climate change policies.
RenewableUK's director of External Affairs, Jennifer Webber, said: "It's not just the carbon footprint that matters, but also the water swallowed up by these other thirsty generators."
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