Carbon Emissions Due to Wine Making in the Island of Crete, Greece
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Elimination of carbon emission is a priority for the achievement of net-zero emission societies in the coming decades. Winemaking is an old traditional industry in Crete interconnected with the local culture, history and economy. Estimation of the carbon emissions in winemaking in Crete has been conducted using data from existing literature. The possibility of using sustainable fuels and benign energy sources in winemaking industry in Crete has been also examined. The area of vineyards in Crete is 7,762 ha having a share at 12.05% in total Greek vineyards. Findings indicate that carbon emissions in the life cycle of winemaking are low. Vineyards in Crete can be used for power and heat generation installing agrivoltaics generating electricity and exploiting the pruning and residues of vines as solid fuel. It has been also indicated that several mature, reliable and cost-efficient renewable energy technologies can be used in winemaking plants reducing or eliminating their carbon footprint. Our results indicate that decarbonization of winemaking in Crete is technically and economically feasible while the barriers hindering the deployment of benign energy technologies in Cretan winemaking industry should be removed. Our findings could be useful to policy makers, local authorities and to all stakeholders of the Cretan wine industry.
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