Institutional and policy framework analysis in relation to the application of autonomous desalination systems — Greece

Greece is generally described as a country with affluent water resources. However, this is half the truth due to the uneven distribution of water resources, which is responsible for the water scarcity problems in many regions of the country. Energy demand, on the other hand, during the past few years has exhibited a far greater rate of growth than the average increase in Europe. Therefore, a strong interest is now present towards the market of renewable energy sources. Under this framework, the development of desalination as an alternative source of freshwater is widely recognized by the authorities who up to now subsided water transportation in arid islands undertaking thus an enormous cost. Autonomous desalination units based on the use of renewable energy sources exist in a small and rather pilot scale in Greece. However, the potential of a rapid future development in this field is clear and gradually recognized by all involved players. The existing legislative and administrative framework does impose barriers to the wide scale implementation of autonomous units and specific amendments and restructuring could accelerate the development of decentralized desalination plants in the country.