A GIS-Based Approach to Inform Agriculture-Water-Energy Nexus Planning in the North Western Sahara Aquifer System (NWSAS)

Youssef Almulla, Camilo Ramirez, Konstantinos Pegios, Alexandros Korkovelos, Lucia de Strasser, Annukka Lipponen and Mark Howells
Additional contact information
Youssef Almulla: Department of Energy Technology, KTH The Royal Institute of Technology, Brinellvägen 68, 10044 Stockholm, Sweden
Camilo Ramirez: Department of Energy Technology, KTH The Royal Institute of Technology, Brinellvägen 68, 10044 Stockholm, Sweden
Konstantinos Pegios: Department of Energy Technology, KTH The Royal Institute of Technology, Brinellvägen 68, 10044 Stockholm, Sweden
Alexandros Korkovelos: Department of Energy Technology, KTH The Royal Institute of Technology, Brinellvägen 68, 10044 Stockholm, Sweden
Lucia de Strasser: The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), Bureau S411, Palais des Nations, 1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland
Annukka Lipponen: The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), Bureau S411, Palais des Nations, 1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland
Mark Howells: Department of Geography, School of Social Sciences and Humanities, Loughborough University, Epinal Way, Loughborough LE11 3TU, UK

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 17, 1-19

Abstract: The North Western Sahara Aquifer System (NWSAS) is a vital groundwater source in a notably water-scarce region. However, impetuous agricultural expansion and poor resource management (e.g., over-irrigation, inefficient techniques) over the past decades have raised a number of challenges. In this exploratory study, we introduce an open access GIS-based model to help answer selected timely questions related to the agriculture, water and energy nexus in the region. First, the model uses spatial and tabular data to identify the location and extent of irrigated cropland. Then, it employs spatially explicit climatic datasets and mathematical formulation to estimate water and electricity requirements for groundwater irrigation in all identified locations. Finally, it evaluates selected supply options to meet the electricity demand and suggests the least-cost configuration in each location. Results indicate that full irrigation in the basin requires ~3.25 billion million m 3 per year. This translates to ~730 GWh of electricity. Fossil fuels do provide the least-cost electricity supply option due to lower capital and subsidized operating costs. Hence, to improve the competitiveness of renewable technologies (RT) (i.e., solar), a support scheme to drop the capital cost of RTs is critically needed. Finally, moving towards drip irrigation can lead to ~47% of water abstraction savings in the NWSAS area.

Keywords: NWSAS; GIS; water; energy; agriculture; nexus (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:17:p:7043-:d:405813

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