Responding to Water Challenges Through Desalination: Energy Considerations

Desalination technology and reverse osmosis in particular, is used by several island authorities in Greece to address water scarcity. However, this is a highly energy‐intensive technique, requiring the consumption of significant quantities of fossil fuels. The case of Syros island is presented to demonstrate the strong water‐energy link in the operation of desalination plants. The use of renewable energy sources as a means for reducing water cost from desalination is also discussed. A simple algorithm to calculate estimating water costs with renewable energy sources (RES) is presented and is applied in the island of Patmos and in Hermoupolis, Syros island

Systemic eco-efficiency assessment of meso-level water use systems

Eco-efficiency has recently become an important concept of environmental decision making, serving as a policy objective and, if linked with resource efficiency, can be a measure of progress towards sustainability. The need for improving eco-efficiency leads to the challenge of identifying the most promising alternative solutions which improve both the economic and the environmental performance of a given system (“eco-innovations”). A methodological framework for the eco-efficiency assessment of a water use system at the meso level has been developed in the context of the EcoWater research project and consists of four distinct steps. The first step leads to a clear, transparent mapping of the system at hand and the respective value chain, while the second step provides the means to assess its eco-efficiency, following a life-cycle oriented approach using the midpoint impact categories. An important novelty is the distribution of economic costs/benefits and environmental pressures over different stages and stakeholders in the value chain. The third step includes the selection of innovative technologies, which are assessed in the last step and combined with mid-term scenarios in order to determine the feasibility of their implementation. The proposed methodological framework has been applied to eight alternative water use systems, revealing all their environmental weaknesses and identifying potential opportunities for eco-efficiency improvement. At the same time, through the systemic approach all the involved actors are urged to cooperate in order to (a) propose and build innovative technological solutions that will improve the overall eco-efficiency of the system; and (b) make suggestions on the necessary policy framework that will facilitate and promote their uptake. This ensures that upstream decisions in the value chain are coordinated with downstream activities and all potential synergies are identified, leading to the creation of “meso-level closed resource loops” and thus the promotion of a circular economy

e-Learning – Experience from the Energy Academy distance training project

Academic and professional education programmes currently available in the areas of energy and environment cannot fully satisfy market demands. Furthermore, closed and isolated systems, such as islands, face additional problems due to geographical discontinuity. The role and the potential of e-learning in both instructor-led (synchronous) and online (asynchronous) course delivery in such isolated systems are investigated. The discussion focuses on the ”Energy Academy”, a distance learning programme of continuous education and training on Renewable Energy Sources (RES) and Energy Savings for local administration officials and for persons involved in the formulation of energy and environmental policies in the Aegean islands of Greece. The programme has been developed by the Environmental & Energy Management Research Unit, School of Chemical Engineering - National Technical University of Athens, and Ios-Aegean Energy Agency, a nonprofit organization focusing on increasing the islands' energy production from RES and promoting energy efficient technologies and practices. The main characteristics of the programme and of the web platform that supports it are presented. From the experience gained during the first two years, it could be said that the programme has come to fill a training need and satisfy an existing demand. The increasing number of participants and the programme’s evaluation by them, have shown that it has achieved its goals, at a great extent. Some failings, however, like the high dropout rate and the rather low percentage of the target audience in the participants, should be taken into account for the programme’s continuation

Eco-efficiency assessment in the agricultural sector: The case of fresh form tomato crop in Phthiotida

During the last two decades, the concept of eco-efficiency has been recognized as a suitable measure of progress towards a greener and more sustainable economy. The prefix “eco-” refers to both economic and ecological (environmental) performance. Therefore, it becomes critical to develop eco-efficiency metrics for measuring environmental and economic performance of a system. The current paper presents a methodological framework that attempts to explore the use of eco-efficiency indicators in meso-level water use systems and through them to assess the impact of new and innovative technologies in such systems. The environmental performance is expressed through the use of environmental midpoint impact categories while the economic performance is measured using the total value added to the system’s product due to water use. The proposed approach has been applied to a water use system of the agricultural sector, and more specifically to the fresh form tomato crop production in Phthiotida

The INECO experience - Main outcomes and lessons learned from participatory Case Study processes

Multi-stakeholder participatory processes are increasingly viewed as the only means of developing policies and strategies for alleviating real (or perceived) water-related conflicts at local, national and international level. They are considered as problem-solving, institutional innovations to democratise water management, manage conflict and enhance effectiveness of water management operations. Methods and tools employed to foster stakeholder engagement vary greatly, depending on issues at hand, opportunities for dialogue and information sharing, as well as the overall socio-economic and political context. This paper outlines the approach followed in the EC-funded INECO Project (Institutional and Economic Instruments for Sustainable Water Management in the Mediterranean Region, Contract No: INCO-CT2006-517673) for fostering dialogue among diverse stakeholder groups and facilitating joint agreement on policy recommendations for mitigating water stress issues in seven Case Studies in the Mediterranean region. The scope of these Case Studies was defined through situation analysis, aimed at depicting significant water management issues faced by the local societies. Subsequently, through different methods (e.g. stakeholder workshops, surveys and questionnaires, individual consultation meetings with key actors), stakeholders jointly collaborated to identify ways through which these issues could be addressed in a desired water resources management situation. In this regard, the recommendations derived for problem mitigation incorporated the very different perspectives of stakeholders and facilitated the comprehensive analysis of the wider economic, societal, institutional and sustainability implications of proposed water management options

Environmental and energy assessment of new vehicle technologies in the greater Athens area

The transport sector in Greece has the largest share in the final energy consumption and the resulting emissions are one of the main sources of atmospheric pollution. This situation is worse in the region of Attica, where nearly half of the country’s private cars circulate in an area equal to 3% of the total country area; the region’s climatic and geomorphological characteristics further aggravate the environmental problem. This paper examines energy saving and environmental impacts reduction from the penetration of eco-friendly technology passenger cars in this region. Three vehicle technologies are considered: (i) conventional hybrid electric vehicles, (ii) battery electric vehicles and (iii) fuel cell electric vehicles. The influence of the driving cycle is examined through the comparison of two different cycles, the New European Driving Cycle (a regulatory driving cycle) and the Athens Driving Cycle, based on actual driving data. Two alternative scenarios are formulated. The first involves the substitution of all the passenger cars that were registered during the last year (2010) with hybrid and battery electric vehicles that already exist in the Greek market. The second scenario examines the penetration of fuel cell electric vehicles. Both scenarios are evaluated on the basis of their expected energy savings and greenhouse gas emissions reduction. A 7.5% to 9% reduction of the CO2 emissions is expected, for the Athens Driving Cycle, if these measures are applied in a five year period

Cost Effectiveness Analysis for Renewable Energy Sources Integration in the Island of Lemnos, Greece

The development of more efficient and least cost energy management interventions is of great importance for isolated energy systems. Islands are typical examples of isolated regions, often highly dependent on imported fossil fuels but with a significant and often unexploited Renewable Energy (RE) potential. This paper presents a least cost planning approach towards the integration of Renewable Energy Sources (RES) in such systems, which is applied to the island of Lemnos, Greece. The approach involves the application of Cost-Effectiveness Analysis (CEA) and Incremental Cost Analysis (ICA) for screening possible alternatives and determining the most economically efficient and effective plan for their implementation. The objective of the application of the proposed approach in the specific case study is to meet through the use of RE technologies all the additional electricity and thermal energy demand, compared to 2007. Various supply side options are evaluated, and an implementation plan is derived. The results indicate that the excess of both electricity and thermal energy demand can be met in the near future without any significant changes in existing infrastructure, while other options should be considered for a more extended time horizon

Eco-efficiency improvements in industrial water-service systems: assessing options with stakeholders

The well-known eco-efficiency concept helps to assess the economic value and resource burdens of potential improvements by comparison with the baseline situation. But eco-efficiency assessments have generally focused on a specific site, while neglecting wider effects, e.g. through interactions between water users and wastewater treatment providers. To address the methodological gap, the EcoWater project has developed a method and online tools for meso-level analysis of the entire water-service value chain. This study investigated improvement options in two large manufacturing companies which have significant potential for eco-efficiency gains. They have been considering investment in extra processes which can lower resource burdens from inputs and wastewater, as well as internalising wastewater treatment processes. In developing its methodology, the EcoWater project obtained the necessary information from many agents, involved them in the meso-level assessment and facilitated their discussion on alternative options. Prior discussions with stakeholders stimulated their attendance at a workshop to discuss a comparative eco-efficiency assessment for whole-system improvement. Stakeholders expressed interest in jointly extending the EcoWater method to more options and in discussing investment strategies. In such ways, optimal solutions will depend on stakeholders overcoming fragmentation by sharing responsibility and knowledge

Conclusions and policy recommendations for the E.U. Water Framework Directive

The purpose of this final chapter is to identify the common themes of the three projects (WSM, Medis, and Aquadapt), to integrate and harmonise the results and approaches adopted by each, and to discuss conclusions and potential policy implications that can feed into the EU Water Framework Directive. The knowledge that has emerged from the three projects has been principally obtained from case study analyses. These have examined competing water use patterns, compared governance structures and how these have evolved in response to scarcity and structural and non-structural instruments to address water deficiency. The experiences and lessons learned from these studies are summarised below. First however we briefly describe the general circumstances, or pressures and driving forces, that are common to the case studies examined in the ARID cluster of projects

Conclusions and policy recommendations for the E.U. Water Framework Directive

The purpose of this final chapter is to identify the common themes of the three projects (WSM, Medis, and Aquadapt), to integrate and harmonise the results and approaches adopted by each, and to discuss conclusions and potential policy implications that can feed into the EU Water Framework Directive. The knowledge that has emerged from the three projects has been principally obtained from case study analyses. These have examined competing water use patterns, compared governance structures and how these have evolved in response to scarcity and structural and non-structural instruments to address water deficiency. The experiences and lessons learned from these studies are summarised below. First however we briefly describe the general circumstances, or pressures and driving forces, that are common to the case studies examined in the ARID cluster of projects