This project investigates the question of planning renewable energy systems in the context of an integrated landscape preservation policy. While planning the energy transition by engaging natural, social and cultural landscape aspects evolves internationally, in Greece the pending revision of the “Special Framework for the Spatial Planning and Sustainable Development for the Renewable Energy Sources” (2008), along with successive revisions of spatial planning legislation during the past decade, place the issue in a new perspective.
Triggered by the critical analysis of the cases of Tinos island and the mountains of Agrafa, where the proclaimed wind power plants installation has led to heated debates, our project focuses on the Greek example to examine the integration of landscape planning into renewable energy policies. Our parallel study on the institutional framework and national policies on landscape, energy, spatial planning and preservation, down to the focus on regional and local plans for our the above two cases, intends to illuminate interconnections and gaps between different scales while evaluating the integration of RES projects in a wider landscape approach. Local factors are also highlighted, such as the importance of land use compatibilities, social distribution of incentives and local involvement, which should be taken into account into an integrated landscape management.
The conclusions address issues of function, scale and participation, along with the question of interchange among national, regional and local levels of planning. This paper aims to participate in a wider discussion on the links between energy transition and landscape preservation, arguing for a methodology that combines macro views with approaches adjusted to the opportunities and constraints of different localities.

Keywords: renewable energy; landscape planning; integrated preservation; regional planning; sustainable energy transition