Territorial design for matching green energy supply and energy consumption: The case of turkey

Green energy (GE) refers to energy sources that have no undesired consequences such as carbon emissions from fossil fuels or hazardous waste from nuclear energy. Alternative energy sources are renewable and are thought to be "free" energy sources. These include biomass energy, wind energy, solar energy, geothermal energy, and hydroelectric energy sources. GE supply is viewed as an option for satisfying the increased energy demand with the prospect of carbon accountability. However, geographical areas have diverse GE resources and different levels of energy consumptions. Territory design is defined as the problem of grouping geographic areas into larger geographic clusters called territories in such a way that the grouping is acceptable according to the planning criteria. The aim of this study is to group geographic areas in such a way that energy requirement in a geographic cluster matches the available GE potential in the same cluster. In this way, investments may be supported through region specific policies.