Sustainable siting of an offshore wind park a case in Chania, Crete

Large Wind Parks (WPs) are an essential priority, mainly in non-residential districts. Especially the offshore WPs, in areas with valuable energy potential, without legislation prohibits and without causing disturbance to the nearby community, could release enormous land for other uses (culture, recreation areas, tourism, etc.). The aim of this paper is to present a methodology for the sustainable siting of an offshore WP based on legal limitations, with a particular respect of ecological and economic resources using as example the island of Crete. It will also be considered the visual, acoustic and aesthetic disturbance of the coastal area residents and visitors and integrate them into the context. One of the essential issues that make the region unique is the undersea relief, which makes difficult the numerous and large-scale intervention, because some areas are strictly protected by the EU. Three steps have been followed: (i) exception of unsuitable areas (geological restrictions, visual and acoustical disturb and safety and of course due to environmental conditions); (ii) evaluation of environmental impacts on birdlife, Special Protection Areas and Sites of Community Importance; (iii) assessment of wind potential and needs of electricity in the regional unit of Chania, in the Western Crete. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.