Inventory of Water–Energy–Waste Resources in Rural Houses in Gran Canaria Island: Application and Potential of Renewable Resources and Mitigation of Carbon Footprint and GHG

• Main Authors: Déniz-Quintana, F.A (Author), León-Zerpa, F.A (Author), Mendieta-Pino, C.A (Author), Ramos-Martín, A. (Author), Rodríguez-Pérez, M.L (Author)
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI 2022
• Subjects: alternative energy; Canary Islands; carbon footprint; Carbon footprint; ecological footprint; Ecological footprint; Energy utilization; Energy wastes; GHG; Gran Canaria; greenhouse gas; Greenhouse gases; Houses; Las Palmas; Renewable energies; Renewable energy resources; Rural areas; Rural house; rural tourism; Rural tourisms; Solar power generation; Spain; spatiotemporal analysis; sustainable development; Sustainable development; Temperature; tourism; Waste resources; Water energy; water–energy–waste; Water–energy–waste
• Online Access: View Fulltext in Publisher

 The potential application of renewable energies is diverse, and they have demonstrated their suitability in their application to the size and operation of activities. Rural tourism is one of the products with the greatest potential for growth within the tourist offer of the island of Gran Canaria, as it combines sustainable development and respect for the natural environment. Among the renewable energies with high applicability in rural environments, we highlight photovoltaic solar, low-temperature solar thermal and the methanation of waste and wastewater generated in tourism. This article shows a methodology adapted and developed for the study of the water-energy-waste nexus, considering parameters of waste generation, water and energy consumption, the occupied area and potential renewable energy generation in rural houses in Gran Canaria and evaluates their environmental profitability. It has been concluded that applying these renewable technologies can significantly reduce the carbon and ecological footprint of the activity of rural houses based on the available surface. This contributes to achieving the energy and environmental objectives proposed by the EU to achieve decarbonization by 2050. © 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.