The water-food-energy nexus and the conflicting relationship of photovoltaic systems with agricultural production: The case of Thessaly

The Water, Food and Energy Nexus was created as a natural resource management tool, aiming at promoting sustainable development at the international, national or local level. The combined management of water, food and energy contributes to eliminating the negative effects that result from the use of each of the three resources on the other two. At the same time, the transition to Green Energy through the application of renewable energy technologies is accelerating the progress towards achieving sustainable development. In recent years, Renewable Energy Resources (RES) is an industry at the center of investors’ interest in Greece, due to the country’s potential to generate solar, wind and hydroelectric energy, but also thanks to attractive financial opportunities offered. However, the growing utilization of solar panels to capture solar energy results in ever expanding occupation of agricultural land. The starting point of this dissertation is the growing concern over the degradation of agricultural and livestock production, as a result of the occupation of agricultural land for the establishment of photovoltaic power stations. For this reason, an attempt is made to investigate the competitive relationship between photovoltaic power plants and food production, using the Thessalian Plain as the study area. Thessaly is one of the key primary sector regions in Greece, as it is home to the second largest plain in the country. The vast expanse of flatland, in combination with the Thessalian Plain’s abundance in solar resource, favors the development of photovoltaic systems, attracting a large number of investors.