Innovative technologies for sustainable water and energy use in vineyards

This study investigates the water–energy nexus in vineyards adopting innovative practices, focusing on water management through rainwater harvesting systems and the installation of photovoltaic panels for renewable energy production. The research focuses on two regions in Greece, Nemea in Corinthia and Nea Anchialos in Magnesia, using historical time series of meteorological data to establish water and energy balances. The study aims to examine the practical use of these technologies to improve water and energy efficiency in grape and wine production, which are important parts of the country’s primary sector. A daily water balance model is applied to estimate the required storage capacity of rainwater tanks for irrigation use in vine cultivation, using daily rainfall and evapotranspiration data over 20 hydrological years (2001/02–2020/21). Additionally, the installation of photovoltaic panels covering a specific percentage of the total utilized area in the study parcels is examined. The analysis showed that the use of a rainwater collection system with a catchment area of 500 m2 for crop areas from 500 to 10,000 m2 and using rainwater tanks from 10 to 200 m3 can ensure demand coverage rates from 60% to 95%. The production of green energy through the panels ranges from 149 to 156 MWh per year.