ALBERT

Description: 〈span〉The implementation of modern technologies in geosciences, and specifically the study of earthquakes, is vital for continued progress in this field. For example, the last 25 yr have seen new technologies such as Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar, the Global Positioning System, and light detection and ranging help scientists observe and place new constraints on the seismic cycle over unprecedented time and space scales.〈/span〉

Description: Sustainability, Vol. 10, Pages 1414: A Social Assessment of the Usage of Renewable Energy Sources and Its Contribution to Life Quality: The Case of an Attica Urban Area in Greece Sustainability doi: 10.3390/su10051414 Authors: Stamatios Ntanos Grigorios Kyriakopoulos Miltiadis Chalikias Garyfallos Arabatzis Michalis Skordoulis Spyros Galatsidas Dimitrios Drosos The aim of this paper is to analyze and evaluate the use of Renewable Energy Sources (RES) and their contribution to citizens’ life quality. For this purpose, a survey was conducted using a sample of 400 residents in an urban area of the Attica region in Greece. The methods of Principal Components Analysis and Logit Regression were used on a dataset containing the respondents’ views on various aspects of RES. Two statistical models were constructed for the identification of the main variables that are associated with the RES’ usage and respondents’ opinion on their contribution to life quality. The conclusions that can be drawn show that the respondents are adequately informed about some of the RES’ types while most of them use at least one of the examined types of RES. The benefits that RES offer, were the most crucial variable in determining both respondents’ perceptions on their usage and on their contribution to life quality.

Description: Sustainability, Vol. 10, Pages 1663: Environmental Behavior of Secondary Education Students: A Case Study at Central Greece Sustainability doi: 10.3390/su10051663 Authors: Stamatios Ntanos Grigorios L. Kyriakopoulos Garyfallos Arabatzis Vasilios Palios Miltiadis Chalikias During the last three decades, human behavior has been becoming energy alarming towards environmental sustainability. One of the most influential initiatives towards environmental protection and increased environmental consciousness is the solidification of primary and secondary environmental education. The purpose of this paper is to investigate different environmental profiles amongst secondary education students, in light of a multi-parametric analysis that involved the contributive role of school and family towards environmental awareness and participation. By reviewing relevant studies, the benefits offered by environmental education are presented. Accordingly, a questionnaire survey was deployed using a sample of 270 secondary education students, from schools situated in the prefecture of Larissa, central Greece. The statistical methods included factor analysis and cluster analysis. Particularly, four groups of different environmental characteristics are identified and interviewed. Results suggest that most students are environmental affectionate, although there is a need for more solidified environmental education and motivation from out-of-school societal opportunities, such as in the contexts of family and public socialization. The deployed research method and analysis can be proven supportive in adopting and scheduling school environmental programs after an initial identification of the various environmental attitudes among the student population.

Description: Sustainability, Vol. 10, Pages 2626: Renewable Energy and Economic Growth: Evidence from European Countries Sustainability doi: 10.3390/su10082626 Authors: Stamatios Ntanos Michalis Skordoulis Grigorios Kyriakopoulos Garyfallos Arabatzis Miltiadis Chalikias Spyros Galatsidas Athanasios Batzios Apostolia Katsarou This paper aims at examining the relationship between energy consumption deriving from renewable energy sources, and countries’ economic growth expressed as GDP per capita concerning 25 European countries. The used dataset involves European countries’ data for the period from 2007 to 2016. The statistical analysis is based on descriptive statistics, cluster analysis, and autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL), and reveals that all variables are related; this suggests a correlation between the dependent variable of GDP and the independents of renewable energy sources (RES) and Non-RES energy consumption, gross fixed capital formation, and labor force in the long-run. Furthermore, the results show that there is a higher correlation between RES’ consumption and the economic growth of countries of higher GDP than with those of lower GDP. The obtained results are consistent with other papers reviewed in this study.

Description: Sustainability, Vol. 10, Pages 687: Public Perceptions and Willingness to Pay for Renewable Energy: A Case Study from Greece Sustainability doi: 10.3390/su10030687 Authors: Stamatios Ntanos Grigorios Kyriakopoulos Miltiadis Chalikias Garyfallos Arabatzis Michalis Skordoulis The purpose of this study is to discover the factors shaping public opinion about renewable energy sources and investigate willingness to pay for expansion of renewable energy sources in the electricity mix. Data was collected through a questionnaire applied in Nikaia, an urban municipality of Greece. The respondents have a positive attitude towards renewable energy systems. Most of them have good knowledge of solar and wind energy systems and are using solar water heating, while several respondents own a solar PV system. Environmental protection is seen as the most important reason for investing in a renewable energy system. Willingness to pay for a wider penetration of RES into the electricity mix was estimated to be 26.5 euros per quarterly electricity bill. The statistical analysis revealed the existence of a relationship between RES perceived advantages and willingness to pay for renewable energy. Furthermore, by using a binary logit model, willingness to pay was found to be positively associated with education, energy subsidies, and state support.