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Description
One of the most important problems in insular Greece is securing the necessary drinking water for the needs of local communities. In recent years, desalination plants have been installed on many Greek islands, in order to deal with the growing demand for drinking water. The island of Santorini is an illustrative example, as in recent years there has been an expansion of desalination units, due to tourism development. Meeting the electricity needs of desalination plants is also a major challenge. Today, in the majority of desalination plants in the Greek islands, electricity is produced using conventional production methods, based on fossil fuels. At the same time, on these islands there is an abundance of renewable energy sources that can be exploited, such as wind energy and solar energy.
Therefore, in the context of the specific project, it is proposed to install a new desalination unit on the island of Thirasia, with a total capacity of 200 m3 per day, to cover the increased demands of the island. The new unit will be installed near the already existing desalination unit and its energy requirements will be covered by renewable energy sources, through the net-metering method. In particular, it is proposed to install a photovoltaic installation, with a total power of 60 kW, near the Thirasia desalination plant. Responsible for project implementation is the Municipal Water Supply and Sewerage Company of Thira.
Finally, the project will be implemented in collaboration with the Norwegian University of Stavanger, where the studies will be carried out, to improve the performance and reliability of the systems
Summary of project results
One of the most important problems in insular Greece is securing the necessary drinking water for the needs of local communities. In recent years, desalination plants have been installed on many Greek islands, in order to deal with the growing demand for drinking water. The island of Thira (Santorini) is an illustrative example, as in recent years there has been an expansion of desalination units, due to tourism development. Meeting the electricity needs of desalination plants is also a major challenge. Today, in the majority of desalination plants in the Greek islands, electricity is produced using conventional production methods, based on fossil fuels. At the same time, on these islands there is an abundance of renewable energy sources that can be exploited, such as wind energy and solar energy. The project aimed to address those chalenges in the small island of Thirasia near the island os Thira.
The project upgraded the desalination facilities of the Municipality of Thira by installing of a new desalination plant in Thirassia, by improving the efficiency and reliability of the infrastructure and by covering of a large percentage of consumed energy by a photovoltaic system. The project consisted of the folowing sub-projects:
- Sub-project 1: Supply and installation of equipment for upgrading an existing desalination system and Installation of equipment for the upgrading of a desalination plant to improve the desalination process and the production of electricity through RES (Responsible: DEYATH).
- Sub-project 2: Project Communication Plan (Responsible: DEYATH).
- Sub-project 3: Investigation of advanced energy systems for sustainable water management and desalination units (Project Manager: Stavanger University).
- Sub-project 4: Connection of the photovoltaic park to the DEI network through the net-metering process (the sub-project was financed by DEYATH).
- Supply, installation, and full operation of a new desalination unit with the accompanying equipment of total capacity of 200 m3/day.
- Supply and installation of a photovoltaic park in Thirasia with a nominal power of 60 kW and a total annual production of approximately 80.000 kWh
- Awareness raising and sensitization of the local community, the scientific community and the general public.
- Economic analysis of the operation of the desalination plant using a photovoltaic park.
- Connection of the photovoltaic system to the power supply network.
- 56.000 € estimated savings per year.
- 320 beneficiaries of the serviced provided or improved.
- Improving drinking water quality.
- Improving the quality of life for residents and visitors.
Summary of bilateral results
Development of bilateral activities between institutions of the donor countries and Greece for the exchange and transfer of knowledge and experience and for the strengthening of networking and future cooperation between them, consisting of a financial analysis (feasibility study) of operation of the desalination unit using solar panels.