Wind Energy in Greece : Economic Analysis

Abstract: In this thesis, an analysis is made of wind energy and specificallywind energy and how it is utilized both in Greece, in European Union andworldwide. Initially, the forms of wind energy sources, advantages anddisadvantages, and what exists in Greece and worldwide will be studied. Inaddition, the definition of wind energy that will follow a historical reviewwill be examined and the advantages of using this form of energy will beanalyzed. For Germany, Spain, Italy, France, Portugal and Denmark will bean analysis on the development and future of wind energy. Finally, therewill be an indicative financial analysis of the construction of a wind farm,while presenting the RETSreen program.The environment has been the subject of study and field of interestinternationally for the last fifty years, with the international communityturning its attention to the search for various ways of its protection andpreservation. The interest for mild forms of energy or renewable sourceswas developed, which was mainly introduced in the 1970s as a result of thegreat oil crises of the time, the erosion of the environment, but also due tothe deterioration of the quality of life from the use of classical energysources. Renewable Energy Sources had a high start-up cost, so their usewas limited to experimental applications. Also, as a disadvantage, they werecharged with the subsidy policy in combination with the deficit created bythe non-collection of the fuel tax, a fact that burdened every national budget.Wind energy is a form of energy with many advantages, including the leastharmful effects on the environment compared to power plants, which useconventional fuels. According to research, the economic benefits that anarea can derive from the development of the wind industry are estimated tobe very significant. Today, wind energy is the most economical form ofenergy compared to coal-fired or nuclear-powered power plants, andtechnological advances in wind farms are driving wind energy to levels ofdirect competitive cost.