Optimization of water and energy footprint across vineyards by using new technologies

In this thesis water, food and energy matrix is investigated in vineyards, where innovative practices are applied, on the one hand, for water management, through rainwater harvesting and utilization systems, and on the other hand for the utilization of solar potential and the production of green energy, through the installation of photovoltaic panels. The research will focus on two regions of Greece with different climatic characteristics, using historical time series of meteorological data to establish water and energy balances. The aim is to provide proposals for the practical application of these technologies, improving the water and energy footprint in the production of grapes and wine, which are important elements of the country's primary sector. A daily water balance model is applied, to investigate the size of rainwater tanks for irrigation use in a vineyard crop that hosts photovoltaic panels in different percentages of the total plot of land The area of Nemea of the regional unit of Corinthia and the area of Nea Anchialos of the regionalunit of Magnesia were selected as study areas. These areas were selected based on the pressure on water resources and the general agricultural use of vineyards. For the application of the water balance model and the sizing of the rainwater tanks, the availability of daily rainfall data and the water needs of the vine crop is a prerequisite. Thus, daily rainfall and evapotranspiration values of 41 hydrological years, for the period 1980-2021, were used from the Greek Observatory stations in Nemea and Nea Anchialos. Subsequently, an analysis of the model results was carried out in relation to the demand coverage from the use of the rainwater harvesting system , as well as the energy production from the photovoltaic panels.