Photovoltaic-Green Systems for Urban Transition. An Integrated Approach for the Assessment of Food-Energy-Water mutual benefits in the Emergent Habitat

The energy crisis in Europe, triggered by growing demand for fossil fuels and exacerbated by recent health emergencies and geopolitical tensions, is putting additional pressure on an environmental context already made fragile by the increased frequency and intensity of extreme weather events caused by climate change. These events have significant consequences on both natural and anthropogenic systems. In addition, the exponential increase in population, concentrated mainly in urban areas, amplifies dependence on external primary resources. In fact, contemporary settlement patterns, combined with lifestyles characterized by high consumption of resources such as food, water, and energy, accentuate socioeconomic and/or environmental impacts resulting from climate change.

Interrelated and overlapped crisis conditions represent a new field of investigation for the experimentation of approaches, strategies, and technical solutions in response not only to climate adaptation and mitigation objectives but also to the satisfaction of needs, expression of emergent habitat complex conditions.

In this context, the Food-Energy-Water (FEW) nexus approach emerges as a key response to understanding and managing the interconnectedness of resources, external drivers of climatic, geopolitical, demographic, and/or socioeconomic nature, and the impacts on affected communities. 
This integrated system approach emphasizes how the three dimensions - food, energy, and water - are closely interdependent and mutually affect each other. The nexus approach aims to consider these resources synergistically, recognizing that decisions and actions developed for one of the considered topics, can significantly impact the others.  Addressing challenges in these three dimensions in a coordinated way can help reduce environmental impacts and promote more efficient and sustainable use of global resources.

The FEW nexus integrated approach examines the complex dynamics associated with the development of innovative strategies and technologies. This approach allows to realize an assessment of alternatives of technological solutions and build a coherent set of indexes to make a qualitative and quantitative evaluation of performances and benefits of integrated food and energy production systems at different scales.

Among complex systems, Agrivoltaic systems represent a challenging case study to test the FEW nexus integrated approach, being integrated systems capable of dual exploitation of the soil both as a productive green area for food cultivation and energy generation from renewable sources. Such systems, both in open spaces and combined in the built environment, emerge as potential examples of convergent innovation and represent a model of integration between innovative technologies and sustainable strategies, addressing complex contemporary issues in a systemic way.

The goal is to promote self-production and resource management in the urban context, preserving ecosystem services and generating co-benefits that can have widespread positive spillovers in terms of environmental and social benefits and economic opportunities.
The implementation of integrated systems and the application of systems approaches such as the FEW nexus form the basis for pursuing sustainable and resilient solutions for urban systems in response to the pressing challenges imposed by the climate and energy crises and the resource scarcity they entail.