Possibilities of Creating Net Zero Carbon Emissions Prisons in the Island of Crete, Greece

An increase in energy efficiency and a reduction of carbon emissions in buildings are prerequisites for mitigating climate change. Public buildings should be energy-refurbished for minimizing their energy use, complying with EU legislation and directives. The creation of net zero carbon emissions prisons in Crete, Greece with reference to the agricultural prison of Agia has been examined. The prison’s capacity is 178 offenders and the annual energy consumption has been estimated at 4000 KWh/prisoner. The use of a solar thermal system for hot water production and a solar-PV system for electricity generation has been proposed for generating the energy required in the prison. Two scenarios have been examined. In the first, the two solar energy systems would generate all the required energy in the prison, while in the second, the two solar energy systems would generate 50% of the annual required energy in the prison, and the rest would be produced by fossil fuels. A tree plantation, either with olive trees or with Eucalyptus trees, would be created for offsetting the carbon emissions due to fossil fuels used in the prison. The surface of the flat plate solar collectors in the solar thermal system has been estimated at 113.9 M2 to 227.8 M2 while its cost is at 34,170€ to 68,340€. The nominal power of the solar-PV system has been estimated at 151.9 KWp to 303.8 KWp while its cost is at 182,280€ to 364,560€. The area of the tree plantation sequestrating 50% of the current CO2 emissions due to fossil fuels use in the prison has been estimated at 14.74 ha for olive trees and at 5.9 ha for Eucalyptus trees. The results indicated that the energy refurbishment in Agia’s agricultural prison in Crete, Greece, in order to zero its annual net carbon emissions, is feasible.