The operation of the water-energy grid and technical solutions for self-sufficiency in the municipality Mantoudiou-Limni-Agia Anna

The Water-Energy-Food (WEF) Nexus is a concept that has gained prominence in recent years, aiming to highlight the significant interdependence between these three essential resources for societies. Understanding this interdependence can significantly contribute to addressing and resolving the environmental and economic challenges the world faces today. This diploma thesis examines the management and functioning of water and energy in the municipality of Mantoudi-Limni-Agia Anna, a rural area that is geographically large but has a small population (12,235 inhabitants). This study brings to light the problematic management of these resources, as the region appears to rely almost exclusively on imported and non-renewable resources. This reliance makes the area particularly vulnerable to external factors that can directly affect its livelihood, such as energy crises, geopolitical conflicts, and price increases. At the same time, the natural advantages of the area are highlighted—sun, rivers, wind, and biomass—which, through Renewable Energy Technologies, can be harnessed to lead the municipality toward energy self-sufficiency. By installing a photovoltaic park, a wind farm, small hydroelectric projects in the area's rivers, and utilizing forest timber, it appears that the municipality could fully meet its electricity needs. Furthermore, by incorporating appropriate energy crops into the municipality's cultivated lands, the area could produce biofuels, which have the potential to meet a portion of its fossil fuel requirements. Through the calculations presented in this work, it becomes evident that the municipality of Mantoudi Limni-Agia Anna possesses sufficient natural characteristics, which, when harnessed, can meet many of its water and energy needs and lead to a largely self-sufficient nexus. A holistic approach and management of these two elements will greatly reduce the region's dependence on imported resources, providing long-term stability while also reducing the negative environmental impacts associated with the overconsumption of non-renewable energy sources.