Geo-informatics for optimal design of desalination plants using renewable energy sources: the DES 2 iRES platform paradi
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1ST CAJG 2018
Geo-informatics for optimal design of desalination plants using renewable energy sources: the DES2iRES platform paradigm George Petrakis 1 & Achilles Tripolitsiotis 2 & Eftichios Koutroulis 1 & Dionissios Hristopulos 1 & Nabila Halouani 3 & Arij Ben Naceur 3 & Panagiotis Partsinevelos 1 Received: 12 July 2019 / Accepted: 11 September 2020 / Published online: 22 September 2020 # Saudi Society for Geosciences 2020
Abstract The Mediterranean region presents a surplus in renewable energy but limited water availability. Desalination confronts water scarcity and secure appropriate quality and quantity of water for diverse applications such as irrigation and drinking. So, a challenge arises: How to establish and operate desalination plants minimizing their environmental footprint along with the corresponding life-cycle costs? This work paves the path towards a concrete and easy-to-implement response to this challenge. This is accomplished through an open-source publicly available Geographical Information System Platform that has been recently developed. Initially, the platform, called DES2iRES, determines the most favorable location for the establishment of a desalination plant based on renewable energy sources availability in its vicinity. Then, the platform takes a step forward and designs the optimal arrangement of the renewable energy source and desalination systems. In order to carry out these tasks effectively, three independent modules operate in parallel within the DES2iRES platform following an interoperable schema. In the present study, emphasis is given to the geo-information module although the main tasks carried out by the other modules are also described. The benefits of using the DES2iRES platform to design a desalination plant powered with renewable energy sources is demonstrated in a theoretical scenario for two study areas in Greece and Tunisia. Finally, constrains in extending platform’s operations are discussed along with future plans to cope those by incorporating diverse data sources to enhance the efficiency of the desalination plant design. Keywords Geographic information systems . Desalination plant . Design optimization . Renewable energy sources . Decision-making
Introduction An undisputable relation between water and energy exists: water is needed for energy production, and energy is This paper was selected from the 1st Conference of the Arabian Journal of Geosciences (CAJG), Tunisia 2018 Responsible Editor: Hesham El-Askary * Achilles Tripolitsiotis [email protected] 1
Technical University of Crete, University Campus, Akrotiri, 73100 Chania, Greece
2
Space Geomatica P. C., Xanthoudidou 10A, 73134, Chania, Crete, Greece
3
Faculty of Sciences of Tunis, University of Tunis El Manar, 2092 Tunis, Tunisia
necessary for water extraction and treatment. The concept of water-energy nexus integrates this interdependency alongside climate change (Oliveira et al. 2019). The growth of global population and subsequent irrigation activities stress water systems, while there are f
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