Simulation and Evaluation of a Hybrid Renewable Energy System for Supplying a Desalination Unit on the Island of Lipsi, Greece

Abstract

Water scarcity is a serious problem for the Aegean Islands in Greece. Due to the fact that tourist development grows in a continuous way, the situation has deteriorated over the last years. Current water resources management practices involving the exploitation of the groundwater reservoirs have provoked the salty water intrusion into the aquifers and in many arid islands water is transported by sea, at a considerably high cost (reaches about 12 €/m³ in some cases). Desalination is foreseen as a solution to this problem and it has already been adopted in many islands, as it is a process that can provide fresh and potable water in the required quantities, at a much lower cost. The coupling of desalination with renewable energy sources (RES) constitutes an appealing and promising option. This paper presents an integrated case study regarding the design and operation of a water-energy system for meeting irrigation and potable water demand in Lipsi Island (Dodecanese complex, Greece). As the desalination unit operation depends on the wind power, a detailed description regarding the generation of synthetic time series of wind speed data is also presented. Finally, a Cost-Benefit Analysis is carried out to discuss each scenario we examine from a financial perspective.