Sustainable Development Solutions Integrating Water, Energy and Land: From Urban to Global Scale
A special issue of Energies (ISSN 1996-1073). This special issue belongs to the section "A: Sustainable Energy".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 September 2024 | Viewed by 6611
Special Issue Editors
2. Institute of Thermal Engineering, Graz University of Technology, Infeldgasse 25b, 8010 Graz, Austria
Interests: climate change; energy economics; integrated assessment; technological change; sustainable development
Interests: analysis of energy systems; water–energy–land interfaces; climate change risks and energy security
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The world is undergoing substantial change in terms of the aim of implementing the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to face current and future demographic and climate global challenges. The appropriate management of water, energy, and land resources gives a robust foundation for the development of a broad number of SDGs.
The use of land has an impact on water use, with chain effects on regional climate, and electricity generation from renewable energy sources. Energy is required to better manage water resources and improve utilization of the land. Water can generate and store energy, and if well managed, it can require small land areas and evaporation. These and other cross-sectoral interactions are to be explored to improve policy assessment, with relevance that depends on the spatial and temporal scale of each specific analysis.
This Special Issue has the objective to review the most relevant challenges, methodologies, and solutions for water–energy–land-nexus-related issues.
We look forward to collaborating with authors to continue improving management of these resources.
Sincerely,
Prof. Dr. Keywan Riahi
Dr. Julian David Hunt
Dr. Adriano Vinca
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- Water, energy, and land nexus
- Water management
- Drought alleviation
- Flood control
- Renewable energies
- Hydropower
- Energy storage
- Irrigated agriculture
- Land use
- Climate change
- Regional climate impacts
- Environmental impacts
- Social impacts
- Sustainable development
- New technologies
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Planned Papers
The below list represents only planned manuscripts. Some of these manuscripts have not been received by the Editorial Office yet. Papers submitted to MDPI journals are subject to peer-review.
Title: The Integration of Biofloc Technology with photovoltaic solar system: Synergies to increase the sustainability of Tilapia production in Mexico
Authors: Erick Arturo Betanzo- Torres 1,†; Maria Eloísa Gurruchaga Rodríguez; Humberto Mata-Alejandro 2; Marco Vinicio Rodríguez-Demeneghi 2; Luis Carlos Sandoval- Herazo 1,†; Elizabeth Delfín-Portela1,3,†
Affiliation: Tecnológico Nacional de México and Universidad Veracruzana/México
Abstract: In Mexico, tilapia production volume ranks fourth, and is the predominant in the country with the largest number of farms in operation, but most of them operate high production costs in terms of feed and energy. Available data indicate that production decreased by 54% in 2021, which is associated with the health emergency caused by SARS-CoV-2, despite this, sales prices are very competitive, for this reason, it is pertinent to seek eco-technological alternatives to mitigate production costs in a sustainable manner. Biofloc Technology (BFT) allows treating water in situ with nitrifying and heterotrophic bacteria that agglutinated in Bioflocs are used as bacterial feed, based on the principle of nutrient recycling and minimum water replacement. On the other hand, in terms of energy, photovoltaic systems interconnected to the grid (On Grid PV) support the generation of energy on farms, reducing aeration and pumping costs, relevant aspects for developing BFT. However, their implementation and operation costs and the lack of knowledge of these ecotechnologies by aquaculturists limit their application. The objective of this work is to analyze the production of Tilapia with BFT integrated with an On Grid PV, through an economic and environmental analysis, with two ecotechnologies that increase the sustainability of aquaculture. Methodologically, it was approached as a case study in a Mexican rural aquaculture farm, located in the state of Veracruz for the design of the photovoltaic system, the previous diagnosis made possible to calculate, design and evaluate theoretically the photovoltaic system. Data on the operating costs of the farm operating with the Biofloc BFT were previously collected through the survey; likewise, non-participant observation was carried out, with a research stay for six months. The results reveal that the two ecotechnologies (BFT and SFVI) implemented are economically viable and environmentally acceptable. There are significant savings in water (84%), feed (31%) and, finally, energy (62%). All of these are vital aspects in the operation of an aquaculture farm, taking a step towards the sustainability of aquaculture production systems. The financial indicators obtained were the internal rate of return of 22.91%, the net present value of 1,732,231.38 Mexican pesos and the benefit-cost ratio of 1.49 pesos (MXN). It is concluded that both eco-technologies offer aquaculture the possibility of producing tilapia at a lower cost (MXN 26.32) to improve its problems, despite their possible high initial investment cost. The investment is recovered in the short term due to the savings obtained, so it is recommended that the investment be alternated, first with SFVI and then with TBF.
Highlights: The integration of both ecotechnologies can increase the energy and environmental sustainability of the farms. Economic and environmental indicators indicate that both technologies can be used jointly in aquaculture systems. This synergy between the two technologies addresses the economic, environmental and social dimensions of aquaculture farms.