Renewable energy applications in Greece—What is the public attitude?

Large-scale integration of Renewable Energy Sources (RES) applications is thought to be imperative for Greece in view of meeting the targets of 2020, which dictate that 20% of the national gross energy consumption and 40% of the national gross electricity consumption should be covered by RES. However, availability of suitable sites for the installation of such applications is questioned, since apart from the fact that many locations of high RES potential and adequate infrastructure have already been allocated, the society opposition often sets additional barriers. The present study focuses on the assessment of the levels of social acceptability for selected RES technologies (wind, small hydro and photovoltaics) in a representative region of Southern Greece. The specific area is of major interest since, apart from the operating and scheduled installations of RES applications in the next years, the local population is also familiar with the long-term operation of a lignite-based power station (850 MW). One three-part questionnaire has been deployed for conducting the survey based on a representative sample of local inhabitants. According to the results obtained, high levels of acceptability of renewable energy applications have been encountered although the need for additional public information regarding RES exploitation has also been designated.