Renewable Based Water-Energy Nexus: An Optimization-Based Approach in Isolated Grids

Abstract

Small islands face significant challenges in achieving sustainable energy systems due to isolated grids and areliance on imported fossil fuels. Introducing renewable energy communities in small islands can support the integration of intermittent renewable sources as solar or wave since they aim at locally share the energy production. The study investigates the integration of a renewable energy community on small islands, using Favignana in the Mediterranean Sea as a case study. This research focuses on solar and marine energies, also integrating hydrogen-based technologies and the smart management of local desalination unit. The results show that an isolated energy system can host significant share of renewables since they offer several benefits in terms of economic, energy and environmental aspects. Moreover, energy storage systems significantly enhance renewables integration. Fuel cells can also help the power system as electrical energy storage system and also as freshwater generator.