  The study presents an effort to classify the territories of a specific area,
according to similarities in the estimated potential of their renewable
sources, considering also their economic and sociodemographic structure and
their geographic features. Specifically, the paper focuses on the area of EU28
and Switzerland and uses as basis for the analysis, data estimating the
potential of renewable energy sources collected and elaborated in the framework
of the project HotMaps (Horizon 2020). The method used to group the territorial
units is cluster analysis, and specifically the k-means algorithm. The data
present some interesting patterns and the territories of EU28 and Switzerland
at NUTS3 level are classified into 17 clusters. The analysis shows the presence
of heterogeneity within national borders and among territories comprised in the
macro regions target of specific EU programmes, specifically the
Adriatic-Ionian region, the Alpine region, the Baltic Sea region and the Danube
region. The results of this research are meant to be used by European policy
makers in developing more focused transnational renewable energy policies and
strategies.
