Optimisation of the integrated water – energy systems in small group of islands communities

Abstract Islands are very special geographical areas with distinct and unique characteristics, often presenting slow infrastructure advancement, rendering the ‘Water-Energy Nexus’ (WEN) subject of increasing attention at all levels of policy making. This works aims to contribute in the optimisation of infrastructure development for the integrated solutions of water-energy systems by devising suitable optimisation models that capture technical and economic aspects. The developed framework is applied to a set of two Aegean Sea islands, assessing alternative scenarios for energy and water planning, with vast RES penetration, either if each island operates in stand-alone mode or the two of them interact as an energy community, via an undersea cable. The results of the work evidence that the solution of interconnection between remote islands could be economic viable, thus leading to downsized plants’ installations and decreased capital investment costs, as greater exploitation of RES is achieved.