Integrating Local Knowledge into the Spatial Analysis of Wind Power: The case study of Northern Tzoumerka, Greece
(2024) In Master Thesis in Geographical Information Science GISM01 20232Dept of Physical Geography and Ecosystem Science
- Abstract
- Increasing demand for incorporating renewable energy projects into the national energy mix, is associated with international and European efforts to tackle the negative effects of climate change and strengthen energy resilience. Greece, as a member country of the European Union, has acknowledged that necessity, by implementing a national program aiming to significantly reduce Green House Gas Emissions and upscale Renewable Energy Sources (RES) project development in upcoming years.
Wind farms are considered a major contributor to Renewable Energy Sources deployment due to their technological maturity and know-how, as well as to their ability to support a more sustainable and environmentally oriented energy production model.... (More) - Increasing demand for incorporating renewable energy projects into the national energy mix, is associated with international and European efforts to tackle the negative effects of climate change and strengthen energy resilience. Greece, as a member country of the European Union, has acknowledged that necessity, by implementing a national program aiming to significantly reduce Green House Gas Emissions and upscale Renewable Energy Sources (RES) project development in upcoming years.
Wind farms are considered a major contributor to Renewable Energy Sources deployment due to their technological maturity and know-how, as well as to their ability to support a more sustainable and environmentally oriented energy production model. Nevertheless, their rapid growth has urged developers to look for new areas of installation, as an endeavor facing spatial planning limitations and public opposition. In Greece, such areas include, among others, by mountainous regions.
The aim of this study is to investigate and assess the wind power suitability of a mountainous municipality in Western Greece. This is possible by incorporating a comprehensive fuzzy GIS-Multi Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) approach that aims at minimizing environmental impacts, while incorporating the input provided by local stakeholders and decision-makers.
The proposed methodology forms a set of constraint criteria, which identify exclusion zones. The spatial dimension of local stakeholders’ input was recorded through interviews, and then, utilized as a filter in this exclusion analysis. It was indicated that the exclusion character of the inputs gathered, was connected to the type of their activity. Six evaluation criteria were identified, which assessed the remaining availability areas based on weights derived from fuzzy Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP).
Results of this analysis, indicate that only a very small portion of the municipality is suitable for wind farm development. This research suggests that the proposed framework and its outcomes could be utilized as a consultation tool by decision-makers in the future. (Less) - Popular Abstract
- Wind energy is considered amongst the most mature RES technologies with the ability to support a more sustainable and environmentally oriented energy production model. Nevertheless, one has to consider that the growing development of wind power projects comes with certain spatial and planning limitations, as well as public opposition. As a result, developers are searching for new territories, facing less developmental challenges, including, among others, mountainous regions.
The aim of this study is to investigate and assess the wind power suitability of a mountainous municipality in Western Greece. The analysis includes the incorporation of a GIS-based analysis where multiple criteria are incorporated in a methodology aiming at... (More) - Wind energy is considered amongst the most mature RES technologies with the ability to support a more sustainable and environmentally oriented energy production model. Nevertheless, one has to consider that the growing development of wind power projects comes with certain spatial and planning limitations, as well as public opposition. As a result, developers are searching for new territories, facing less developmental challenges, including, among others, mountainous regions.
The aim of this study is to investigate and assess the wind power suitability of a mountainous municipality in Western Greece. The analysis includes the incorporation of a GIS-based analysis where multiple criteria are incorporated in a methodology aiming at minimizing environmental impacts, while incorporating the input provided by local stakeholders and decision-makers.
The methodology is based on the formation of a set of constraint and evaluation criteria in order to, firstly, define areas where the development of wind farms is excluded, and secondly to evaluate the remaining areas on their suitability. An important element of the applied approach was the incorporation of local stakeholders’ input that was utilized as a filter in the exclusion analysis.
Results of this analysis indicate that only a very small portion of the municipality (0.7 %) is available for wind farm development, while these areas were assessed as of medium suitability. This research suggests that the proposed framework and its outcomes could be utilized as a consultation tool by decision-makers in the future. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/9147334
- author
- Senteles, Athanasios LU
- supervisor
- organization
- alternative title
- A GIS-based wind power suitability analysis for a mountainous municipality in Western Greece
- course
- GISM01 20232
- year
- 2024
- type
- H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
- subject
- keywords
- Geography, Geographical Information Systems, MCDA, wind energy, local knowledge, Greece
- publication/series
- Master Thesis in Geographical Information Science
- report number
- 171
- language
- English
- id
- 9147334
- date added to LUP
- 2024-01-30 15:44:48
- date last changed
- 2024-01-30 15:44:48
@misc{9147334,
abstract = {{Increasing demand for incorporating renewable energy projects into the national energy mix, is associated with international and European efforts to tackle the negative effects of climate change and strengthen energy resilience. Greece, as a member country of the European Union, has acknowledged that necessity, by implementing a national program aiming to significantly reduce Green House Gas Emissions and upscale Renewable Energy Sources (RES) project development in upcoming years.
Wind farms are considered a major contributor to Renewable Energy Sources deployment due to their technological maturity and know-how, as well as to their ability to support a more sustainable and environmentally oriented energy production model. Nevertheless, their rapid growth has urged developers to look for new areas of installation, as an endeavor facing spatial planning limitations and public opposition. In Greece, such areas include, among others, by mountainous regions.
The aim of this study is to investigate and assess the wind power suitability of a mountainous municipality in Western Greece. This is possible by incorporating a comprehensive fuzzy GIS-Multi Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) approach that aims at minimizing environmental impacts, while incorporating the input provided by local stakeholders and decision-makers.
The proposed methodology forms a set of constraint criteria, which identify exclusion zones. The spatial dimension of local stakeholders’ input was recorded through interviews, and then, utilized as a filter in this exclusion analysis. It was indicated that the exclusion character of the inputs gathered, was connected to the type of their activity. Six evaluation criteria were identified, which assessed the remaining availability areas based on weights derived from fuzzy Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP).
Results of this analysis, indicate that only a very small portion of the municipality is suitable for wind farm development. This research suggests that the proposed framework and its outcomes could be utilized as a consultation tool by decision-makers in the future.}},
author = {{Senteles, Athanasios}},
language = {{eng}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
series = {{Master Thesis in Geographical Information Science}},
title = {{Integrating Local Knowledge into the Spatial Analysis of Wind Power: The case study of Northern Tzoumerka, Greece}},
year = {{2024}},
}