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Description
- The main object of the BriZE operation is to increase the supply of water supply in Kimolos by implementing Reverse Osmosis (RO) desalination, with a capacity of 220 m3/day (sub-project 1). The proposed plant will be an expansion of the already existing desalination plant and will use a part of the existing infrastructure. The new desalination will be powered by a 100 kWp Photovoltaic system (subproject 2) and will incorporate an innovative Brine Treatment Unit, with a clean water production capacity of approximately 4.0 m3/day (subproject 3). Consequently, the total potable water capacity, from the expansion of the existing Kimolos desalination system, will be 224 m3/day.
- For the Brine Treatment Unit, the final study will be done during the implementation of sub-project 4.
The project also includes :
- The wide publicity and dissemination of the results of the act to other islands of Greece with similar problems of lack of drinking water to facilitate their treatment ( sub-project 4).
- The publicity of the act outside the borders of our country, in the donor countries, Europe and the world (sub-projects 4, 5 and 6).
- The development of bilateral relations between bodies of the donor countries and Greece for the exchange and transfer of knowledge and experiences and for the strengthening of networking and future cooperation between them (sub-project 6 of a budget of 40.320,50€ paid by Bilateral Fund).
Summary of project results
Kimolos is a small island located in the south-west of Cyclades group in the Aegean Sea, occupied by 900 inhabitants. It is a dry island suffering from water shortage, especially during the high demanding summer period. An existing desalination plant having a capacity of 600 m3/day covers large amount of the water needs. However, in order to ensure the island’s autonomy during the high demanding touristic period, the BriZE project proposes the installation of a new additional reverse osmosis desalination unit (RODU). This new RODU will also ensure the water supply of the island during the maintenance period of the existing unit, but also in the event of a failure. Additional important challenges of this project are the development and design of an innovative brine treatment system (BTS) that will mitigate the environmental footprint of the RODU and the partial replacement of the required electricity with a photovoltaic array (PV).
The project concerns the procurement of the systems of the AO desalination unit, the photovoltaic array and the brine treatment unit. These systems were installed in Kimolos.
Also the project concerns the study of the innovative brine treatment unit, the assessment of the geothermal potential to support the desalination unit, as well as the analysis of the socio-economic and environmental impacts (Life Cycle Assessment, LCA) resulting from the implementation of the actions in Kimolos.
The project includes the coordination of the BriZE operation and the dissemination and communication actions at the National and European level.
The publicity of the operation at the Norwegian and International level by the Norwegian company VISTA ANALYSE is also included in the project. More specifically, the publicity concerns the creation of publicity material in English, the presentation at conferences and exhibitions in Norway, the creation of accounts on social media and their continuous updating, etc.
Results of the project are:
- Supply, installation, and full operation of a new desalination unit with the accompanying equipment of total capacity of 221 m3/day.
- Supply and installation of a photovoltaic park with a power of 0,1 MW.
- Reduction of salt waste through the application of green Innovative technologies
- Estimated Cost Savings (€/year) 150.000
- Number of water bodies with imporved environmental status: 1
- Number of beneficiaries of services provided or improved: 900
Impacts of the project are:
- Impact to the local society and economy of Kimolos island: Securing an uninterruptible fresh water supply.
- Impact to the environment: Mitigating the environmental footprint by using renewable energy and developing an innovative brine treatment system less burden.
- Impact to science and innovation: Development of an innovative BTS based on heat pump technology.
- Impact to the employment of young researchers: Recruiting new scientific staff for the BTS development.
- Impact to the reinforcement of cooperation between local authorities and research institutes: Collaboration of Kimolos municipality with the research organizations to adopt state of the art technologies and solutions in the local society.
- Impact to the enhancement of bilateral relations among Greek organizations and those coming from the donor states: Collaboration with the Norwegian company VISTA ANALYSES and Development of “Bilateral Relations” with the University of Iceland and the Norwegian Institute for Energy Technology.
Summary of bilateral results
The project significantly benefited from the involvement of VISTA ANALYSE, our project partner from Norway. In particular, they played a key role in dissemination, bringing valuable expertise in communication strategies that enhanced the visibility and outreach of the project. Their contribution ensured that the project’s results reached a wider audience at Norwegian and International level. In addition, VISTA ANALYSE’s expertise in policy analysis, sustainability assessment, and socio-economic evaluation offers great potential for future joint initiatives. We are already exploring new opportunities where this knowledge can be further integrated into project design and impact assessment. Our collaboration in BRIZE project has been very effective and collaborative, and we look forward to deepening our partnership in areas of mutual interest.