The Prospects of Renewables for Electricity Production in Greece: Diversification Between Island and Mainland Greece

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Global research interest has recently focused on the utilization of renewable energy sources (RESs) in terms of large-scale technical infrastructure and their emerging technologies. In parallel RES-based electricity production at existing large-scale power stations, it is determined by the current availability of exploitable/remote energy sources. In a technological point of view, the discrete utilization of biomass, hydroelectric, wind and solar energy is prevailing globally. In Greece, meeting national energy needs, it has been remarkably bounded on high level of conventional fuels’ exploitation, including abundant stocks of lignite, as well as imports of hydrocarbons and natural gas. In systematically approaching RES in Greece, an hierarchical cluster analysis was applied on data of the number and the rated power of RES plants installed at mainland, insular, and peripheries. Then, the K-means method was used as the distance criterion. The results of the descriptive statistical analysis of the variables supported grouping of peripheral units into clusters. At the same time, the typology results of all grouped areas were visually mapped. Subsequently, the cluster analysis was performed on different pairs of variables in order to find the differences among similar groups produced. The statistical analysis was performed using data for the years 2015 and 2019. The number of formed clusters groups was from 3 to 6, while—according to the ANOVA analysis—the optimal possible and good data separation in the aforementioned groups was achieved on the RES: wind (in all 5 cases hierarchical groups), being followed by the small hydroelectric in 2 cases: (one for 2015 and one for 2019) and the photovoltaic in 2 cases: (one for 2015 and one for 2019). The research unveiled constructive outcomes and multifaceted challenges that emerge in energy utilization, while considering the ongoing diffusion of RES in the energy mix of Greece.