Georgios Nikolaou
Georgios Nikolaou received the EMS Tromp Award for an outstanding achievement in biometeorology in 2025. Georgios Nikolaou is a researcher at the Department of Agriculture in Cyprus. He was awarded for the publication “Design of TETHYS: a greenhouse plant-smart water harvesting and air-cleaning system”, published in July 2024 in the journal Euro-Mediterranean Journal for Environmental Integration, DOI https://doi.org/10.1007/s41207-024-00586-0
About Dr Georgios Nikolaou
Dr. Georgios Nikolaou has been working at the Land and Water Use Section, of the Department of Agriculture in Cyprus since 2005. He has a keen interest in irrigation water management and greenhouse technologies. He completed his doctoral studies at the University of Thessaly in the Laboratory of Agricultural Constructions and Environmental Control, where he remains affiliated.
Georgios Nikolaou on Reasearchgate
Incentive for his research
Greenhouses in the Mediterranean are often concentrated in relatively small agricultural areas, which are frequently associated with environmental pollution problems. The United Nations agenda for adaptation to climate change and sustainable development promotes circular economy principles and zero pollution. Considering this, greenhouse cultivation in the Mediterranean region faces unique challenges. Greenhouses are also considered a mitigation measure to combat climate change and as a sustainable production system. However, energy use for cooling and irrigation represents one of the main sources of energy consumption. The challenge in Mediterranean greenhouses is to increase energy and water efficiency sustainably under current environmental conditions. This can be achieved through the introduction of novel technologies, the incorporation of renewable energy sources, and the development of smart energy management algorithms.
Tethys Project
The name “Tethys“ is inspired by Greek mythology, where Tethys was the Titan goddess of the primal source of fresh water. The project was published in 2024 in the Euro-Mediterranean Journal for Environmental Integration. The objective was to develop a multi-scale greenhouse model based on the speaking plant approach and to propose a plant smart water harvesting system using a desiccant wheel and air cleaning system aimed at minimising the outflow of airborne chemical pollutants from Mediterranean-type greenhouses. Tethys is expected to have a significant impact in locations where the supply of low-cost heat or electricity is particularly expensive and in water-scarce regions. Considering its advantages over programmable greenhouse climate time-based controller devices, it is a powerful green tool for greenhouses.