Environmental Engineering Reference
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The demand for electricity is served by a network of central station power generators.
These include the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station west of Phoenix, plus numerous
coal-fired power plants, gas-fired power plants, and hydropower plants located primarily
along the Colorado River. Utilities typically classify their power plants as
a. Baseload plants, which run most of the time close to their generating capacities
b. Intermediate plants, which generate electricity some of the time, usually during
periods of high demand
c. Peaking plants, which run only a few hours a year and usually serve very high
loads in the late afternoon and early evening in the summer
Most baseload plants are located far from the major cities and burn coal to generate
electricity. The Palo Verde nuclear plant is also a baseload plant. Intermediate and peaking
plants are often located in or near load centers and typically burn natural gas.
Figure 29.2 summarizes the generation mix (in terms of MWh of electricity produced)
of resources located in Nevada, New Mexico, and Arizona as of 2011. Coal- and gas-fired
generation dominate; hydro and nuclear power are also important, but renewable energy
(other than hydro) provided only about 3% of the electricity produced in the three state
region. The system of power plants is linked together by a series of high-voltage transmis-
sion lines that deliver power to load centers.
The general design of the current power supply system has been in place for decades*
and the utility industry and its regulators have worked out a complex set of rules and
procedures for meeting load growth, operating the system, and pricing electric ser-
vices. These rules and customary procedures constitute the institutional framework and
Nuclear
Hydro
Coal
Wind, solar,
geothermal
Gas
FIGURE 29.2
2011 Generation mix (GWh): AZ, NM, NV.
*
The spatial design of the power supply system stems from concepts developed in the 1920s and 1930s. To
increase the availability and benefits of electricity, Robert Bruère and others advocated a system of power
plants located at coal mines delivering power to consumers through an interconnected transmission system.
This arrangement was intended to supersede the location of power plants in cities and to bring electricity to
rural areas. See Bruère.
3
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