Linear Modelling of Water Potential and Supply for Decentralized Energy-Water-Food Systems – Case Study St. Rupert Mayer, Zimbabwe

Abstract

Limited water accessibility threatens the development of communities, especially where agriculture is the main income source. Implementing decentralized Energy-Water-Food systems is a promising approach to improve the situation in these communities, create synergies and improve the systems' profitability. The model urbs optimizes Energy-Water-Food systems to generate the highest revenues, considering the local conditions and sustainability limits. This work improves the hydrogeological part of urbs to model the water potential of a given community. It establishes interrelations of the water sector with the energy and food sectors and maximizes the long-term benefits within the sustainability limits. The proposed method was applied to the rural community of St. Rupert Mayer in Zimbabwe. The sensitivity of the main input parameters is analysed to understand the impact of data uncertainty on the model results. The results indicate that it is important to implement reliable input data for dimensioning the proper system configuration, as otherwise, the whole system would not be sustainable.