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Renewable energy development and more specifically Wind Farm (WF) installation has been increased during the last years by most countries. A discipline that has been studied thoroughly is the impact of wind turbines on installation locations, during energy production or at the end of their life. Citizens' attitudes, social and environmental factors are among the criteria affecting the selection of WFs installation locations. Various machine learning tools have been used in order to analyze the allocation of the Renewable Energy Systems (RES). In this paper a methodology based on computational geometry and Geographical Information Systems (GIS) is proposed in order to cluster the locations of Wind Turbines (WT) and define the boundaries of the areas that are affected by them. Delaunay Triangulation is selected as the main algorithm, since it is appropriate for handling geospatial data and it uses a geometric approach. Furthermore, algorithms based on graph theory are proposed in order to improve the efficiency of the methodology. The proposed methodology was implemented in locations of WTs in Greece and was compared to other known clustering algorithms. It was found that the locations of WTs in Greece are separated into 158 clusters. Some characteristics of the areas defined by the clusters, such as the distance from the protected areas, the distance from the closest airport and the number of residential areas that are within them, were computed and it was shown that these areas can be separated into 4 groups. The application aims to help policy makers to improve the effectiveness of their decisions by understanding in a better way which areas are more impaired or beneficial by the installation of WFs. • This study deals with the Wind Farm installation problem for an entire country. • Wind Farm locations in Greece are clustered into 158 clusters. • The areas that are more beneficial or impaired by wind turbines are determined. • The mean number of residential areas per cluster is equal to 6. • 79 out of 158 clusters do not contain any residential area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Within debates on rural development, Neo-Endogenous Development has emerged as the consensus 'best-practice' approach. Central to this approach is the role of the Expert Knowledge Broker – the conduit that brings local and 'extra-local' together. This paper contests that, despite a wealth of research on this paradigm and the knowledge flows that operate within, little research has been conducted regarding the decision-making process of the Expert Knowledge Broker. However, this is arguably decisive in which type of rural development is enacted. Using the allocation of funding for Renewable Energy projects in Greece as a critical context, this paper explores the decision-making approach of experts using Analytic Hierarchical Process analysis. We find that the type of rural development enacted is contingent upon the funding decision and the balance between local and extra-local funding decisions vary depending upon heterogeneous criteria. The paper contributes to knowledge through a nuanced explanation of the role of the Expert Knowledge Broker and suggests how EU Renewable Energy policy funding decisions can become more effective. • Renewable energy plays an important role in rural development. • The type of rural development enacted is contingent upon the funding decision balance. • Rural funding decisions vary depending upon heterogeneous criteria. • Social acceptance defines decisions in renewable energy expansion in rural areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Local renewable energy initiatives, that involve the local population, can help empower the communities, economically, culturally, and socially. In many cases, the ambitions of energy projects go beyond mere electricity production and involve issues of energy justice, environmental awareness, and environmental citizenship. However, these aspirations are often forgotten during project assessments, or they fail to include local voices, especially those of women and other marginalized groups. Gender has been given little attention in the energy scholarship and especially during the post-implementation assessment of energy projects due to the belief that energy technologies are gender neutral and beneficial for the whole community. The present study, with a focus on two local energy projects with mixed ownership, challenges this notion. The two case studies are the islands of El Hierro in Spain and Tilos in Greece. A detailed survey based on a series of indicators drawn from the energy justice framework is used to evaluate women's perceptions. By following a feminist approach, this work draws attention on the difference experiences of women and how these are often not acknowledged during the assessment of renewable energy projects. Local renewable energy does not automatically imply energy justice and pluralism. More effort is needed from policy makers to include women in the decision making and to ensure a fair distribution of the benefits of the projects. • This paper examines the impact of two innovative renewable energy projects through gender lenses • Two case studies from the Global North are presented • Sex disaggregated results from a detailed survey were analyzed • The energy justice framework is the underlying conceptual tool for the analysis • The differences in energy perceptions and benefits/harms from the projects between genders are discussed [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The current paper deals with two major problems faced by small islands and isolated areas in Greece. The first is power supply and the second is water supply. The scope of the present paper is to investigate the potential of implementing JESSICA (Joint European Support for Sustainable Investment in City Areas) as a complementary financing instrument for provision of Renewable Energy Sources (RES) electricity and water supply on islands with urban and rural areas. The above analysis is presented through a real case on the Greek island Ios. Considering the intense tourism activity during summer, as well as the isolation characteristics of a big number of Mediterranean Islands, the present solution contributes significantly to the improvement of quality of life. In essence the investment contributes significantly to the overall development of the area fulfilling the three aspects of sustainable development (environmental, economic, and social). [Copyright &y& Elsevier]