Agricultural land or photovoltaic parks? The water–energy–food nexus and land development perspectives in the Thessaly plain, Greece

G.-F. Sargentis, P. Siamparina, G.-K. Sakki, A. Efstratiadis, M. Chiotinis, and D. Koutsoyiannis, Agricultural land or photovoltaic parks? The water–energy–food nexus and land development perspectives in the Thessaly plain, Greece, Sustainability, 13 (16), 8935, doi:10.3390/su13168935, 2021.

[doc_id=2136]

[English]

Water, energy, land, and food are vital elements with multiple interactions. In this context, the concept of a water–energy–food (WEF) nexus was manifested as a natural resource management approach, aiming at promoting sustainable development at the international, national, or local level and eliminating the negative effects that result from the use of each of the four resources against the other three. At the same time, the transition to green energy through the application of renewable energy technologies is changing and perplexing the relationships between the constituent elements of the nexus, introducing new conflicts, particularly related to land use for energy production vs. food. Specifically, one of the most widespread “green” technologies is photovoltaic (PV) solar energy, now being the third foremost renewable energy source in terms of global installed capacity. However, the growing development of PV systems results in ever expanding occupation of agricultural lands, which are most advantageous for siting PV parks. Using as study area the Thessaly Plain, the largest agricultural area in Greece, we investigate the relationship between photovoltaic power plant development and food production in an attempt to reveal both their conflicts and their synergies.

PDF Full text (2709 KB)

See also: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/16/8935

Our works referenced by this work:

1. K. Hadjibiros, A. Katsiri, A. Andreadakis, D. Koutsoyiannis, A. Stamou, A. Christofides, A. Efstratiadis, and G.-F. Sargentis, Multi-criteria reservoir water management, Global Network for Environmental Science and Technology, 7 (3), 386–394, doi:10.30955/gnj.000394, 2005.
2. D. Koutsoyiannis, A. Andreadakis, R. Mavrodimou, A. Christofides, N. Mamassis, A. Efstratiadis, A. Koukouvinos, G. Karavokiros, S. Kozanis, D. Mamais, and K. Noutsopoulos, National Programme for the Management and Protection of Water Resources, Support on the compilation of the national programme for water resources management and preservation, 748 pages, doi:10.13140/RG.2.2.25384.62727, Department of Water Resources and Environmental Engineering – National Technical University of Athens, Athens, February 2008.
3. N. Mamassis, A. Efstratiadis, and E. Apostolidou, Topography-adjusted solar radiation indices and their importance in hydrology, Hydrological Sciences Journal, 57 (4), 756–775, doi:10.1080/02626667.2012.670703, 2012.
4. R. Ioannidis, P. Dimitriadis, G.-F. Sargentis, E. Frangedaki, T. Iliopoulou, and D. Koutsoyiannis, Stochastic similarities between hydrometeorogical and art processes for optimizing architecture and landscape aesthetic parameters, European Geosciences Union General Assembly 2019, Geophysical Research Abstracts, Vol. 21, Vienna, EGU2019-11403, European Geosciences Union, 2019.
5. G.-F. Sargentis, R. Ioannidis, G. Karakatsanis, S. Sigourou, N. D. Lagaros, and D. Koutsoyiannis, The development of the Athens water supply system and inferences for optimizing the scale of water infrastructures, Sustainability, 11 (9), 2657, doi:10.3390/su11092657, 2019.
6. G.-F. Sargentis, P. Dimitriadis, R. Ioannidis, T. Iliopoulou, and D. Koutsoyiannis, Stochastic evaluation of landscapes transformed by renewable energy installations and civil works, Energies, 12 (4), 2817, doi:10.3390/en12142817, 2019.
7. E. Manta, R. Ioannidis, G.-F. Sargentis, and A. Efstratiadis, Aesthetic evaluation of wind turbines in stochastic setting: Case study of Tinos island, Greece, European Geosciences Union General Assembly 2020, Geophysical Research Abstracts, Vol. 22, Vienna, EGU2020-5484, doi:10.5194/egusphere-egu2020-5484, 2020.
8. D. Koutsoyiannis, Revisiting the global hydrological cycle: is it intensifying?, Hydrology and Earth System Sciences, 24, 3899–3932, doi:10.5194/hess-24-3899-2020, 2020.
9. G.-F. Sargentis, P. Dimitriadis, R. Ioannidis, T. Iliopoulou, E. Frangedaki, and D. Koutsoyiannis, Optimal utilization of water resources for local communities in mainland Greece (case study of Karyes, Peloponnese), Procedia Manufacturing, 44, 253–260, doi:10.1016/j.promfg.2020.02.229, 2020.
10. R. Ioannidis, and D. Koutsoyiannis, A review of land use, visibility and public perception of renewable energy in the context of landscape impact, Applied Energy, 276, 115367, doi:10.1016/j.apenergy.2020.115367, 2020.
11. G.-F. Sargentis, T. Iliopoulou, S. Sigourou, P. Dimitriadis, and D. Koutsoyiannis, Evolution of clustering quantified by a stochastic method — Case studies on natural and human social structures, Sustainability, 12 (19), 7972, doi:10.3390/su12197972, 2020.
12. N. Mamassis, A. Efstratiadis, P. Dimitriadis, T. Iliopoulou, R. Ioannidis, and D. Koutsoyiannis, Water and Energy, Handbook of Water Resources Management: Discourses, Concepts and Examples, edited by J.J. Bogardi, T. Tingsanchali, K.D.W. Nandalal, J. Gupta, L. Salamé, R.R.P. van Nooijen, A.G. Kolechkina, N. Kumar, and A. Bhaduri, Chapter 20, 617–655, doi:10.1007/978-3-030-60147-8_20, Springer Nature, Switzerland, 2021.
13. G.-F. Sargentis, T. Iliopoulou, P. Dimitriadis, N. Mamassis, and D. Koutsoyiannis, Stratification: An entropic view of society's structure, World, 2, 153–174, doi:10.3390/world2020011, 2021.
14. G.-F. Sargentis, R. Ioannidis, M. Chiotinis, P. Dimitriadis, and D. Koutsoyiannis, Aesthetical issues with stochastic evaluation, Data Analytics for Cultural Heritage, edited by A. Belhi, A. Bouras, A.K. Al-Ali, and A.H. Sadka, doi:10.1007/978-3-030-66777-1_8, Springer, 2021.
15. P. Siamparina, The water-food-energy nexus and the conflicting relationship of photovoltaic systems with agricultural production: The case of Thessaly, Diploma thesis, 118 pages, March 2021.

Our works that reference this work:

1. R. Ioannidis, N. Mamassis, A. Efstratiadis, and D. Koutsoyiannis, Reversing visibility analysis: Towards an accelerated a priori assessment of landscape impacts of renewable energy projects, Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 161, 112389, doi:10.1016/j.rser.2022.112389, 2022.
2. G.-K. Sakki, I. Tsoukalas, P. Kossieris, C. Makropoulos, and A. Efstratiadis, Stochastic simulation-optimisation framework for the design and assessment of renewable energy systems under uncertainty, Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 168, 112886, doi:10.1016/j.rser.2022.112886, 2022.
3. G.-F. Sargentis, N. D. Lagaros, G.L. Cascella, and D. Koutsoyiannis, Threats in Water–Energy–Food–Land Nexus by the 2022 Military and Economic Conflict, Land, doi:10.3390/land11091569, 2022.
4. D. Markantonis, G.-F. Sargentis, P. Dimitriadis, T. Iliopoulou, A. Siganou, K. Moraiti, M. Nikolinakou, I. Meletopoulos, N. Mamassis, and D. Koutsoyiannis, Stochastic Evaluation of the Investment Risk by the Scale of Water Infrastructures-Case Study: The Municipality of West Mani (Greece), World, 4 (1), 1–20, doi:10.3390/world4010001, 2022.
5. G.-F. Sargentis, R. Ioannidis, I. Bairaktaris, E. Frangedaki, P. Dimitriadis, T. Iliopoulou, D. Koutsoyiannis, and N. D. Lagaros, Wildfires vs. sustainable forest partitioning, Conservation, 2 (1), 195–218, doi:10.3390/conservation2010013, 2022.
6. G.-F. Sargentis, and D. Koutsoyiannis, The function of money in water–energy–food and land nexus, Land, 12 (3), 669, doi:10.3390/land12030669, 2023.
7. A. Roxani, A. Zisos, G.-K. Sakki, and A. Efstratiadis, Multidimensional role of agrovoltaics in era of EU Green Deal: Current status and analysis of water-energy-food-land dependencies, Land, 12 (5), 1069, doi:10.3390/land12051069, 2023.
8. G.-F. Sargentis, N. Mamassis, O. Kitsou, and D. Koutsoyiannis, The role of technology in the water–energy–food nexus. A case study: Kerinthos, North Euboea, Greece, Frontiers in Water, 6, 1343344, doi:10.3389/frwa.2024.1343344, 2024.

Other works that reference this work (this list might be obsolete):

1. Abouaiana, A., and A. Battisti, Multifunction land use to promote energy communities in Mediterranean region: Cases of Egypt and Italy, Land, 11(5), 673, doi:10.3390/land11050673, 2022.
2. Reasoner, M., and A. Ghosh, Agrivoltaic engineering and layout optimization approaches in the transition to renewable energy technologies: a review, Challenges, 13(2), 43, doi:10.3390/challe13020043, 2022.
3. Bhambare, P. S., and S. C. Vishweshwara, Design aspects of a fixed focus type Scheffler concentrator and its receiver for its utilization in thermal processing units, Energy Nexus, 7, 100103, doi:10.1016/j.nexus.2022.100103, 2022.
4. Padilla, J., C. Toledo, and J. Abad, Enovoltaics: Symbiotic integration of photovoltaics in vineyards, Frontiers in Energy Research, 10, 1007383, doi:10.3389/fenrg.2022.1007383, 2022.
5. Garcia, J. A., and A. Alamanos, Integrated modelling approaches for sustainable agri-economic growth and environmental improvement: Examples from Greece, Canada and Ireland, Land, 11(9), 1548, doi:10.3390/land11091548, 2022.
6. Dias, I. Y. P., L. L. B. Lazaro, and V. G. Barros, Water–energy–food security nexus—estimating future water demand scenarios based on nexus thinking: The watershed as a territory, Sustainability, 15(9), 7050, doi:10.3390/su15097050, 2023.
7. Goldberg, G. A., Solar energy development on farmland: Three prevalent perspectives of conflict, synergy and compromise in the United States, Energy Research & Social Science, 101, 103145, doi:10.1016/j.erss.2023.103145, 2023.
8. Lucca, E., J. El Jeitany, G. Castelli, T. Pacetti, E. Bresci, F. Nardi, and E. Caporali, A review of water-energy-food-ecosystems nexus research in the Mediterranean: Evolution, gaps and applications, Environmental Research Letters, 18, 083001, doi:10.1088/1748-9326/ace375, 2023.
9. Zavahir, S., T. Elmakki, M. Gulied, H. K. Shon, H. Park, K. K. Kakosimos, and D. S. Han, Integrated photoelectrochemical (PEC)-forward osmosis (FO) system for hydrogen production and fertigation application, Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering, 11(5), 110525, doi:10.1016/j.jece.2023.110525, 2023.
10. Karasmanaki, E., S. Galatsidas, K. Ioannou, and G. Tsantopoulos, Investigating willingness to invest in renewable energy to achieve energy targets and lower carbon emissions, Atmosphere, 14(10), 1471, doi:10.3390/atmos14101471, 2023.
11. Zhou, Z., H. Liao, H. Li, X. Gu, and M. M. Ageli, The trilemma of food production, clean energy, and water: COP27 perspective of global economy, Land Degradation and Development, doi:10.1002/ldr.4996, 2024.

Tagged under: Environment, Renewable energy, Water and energy