“We have 340 sunny days per year, but we’re still not betting on renewable energies in Cyprus,” Georgia Mouskou said as sunlight streamed through her windows.
Faced with her skyrocketing electricity bill, Mouskou said that she wants to “rent a plot” to install solar panels.
Like Mouskou, rising energy costs and environmental concerns have caused residents of the Mediterranean island to see solar power as an obvious option.
Photo: AFP
In the past year, the number of solar panels increased by 16 percent, the Electricity Authority of Cyprus said.
However, Cyprus is still struggling to increase its use of power from renewable sources.
In 2019, just 13.8 percent of its energy came from solar and wind energy, well below the 19.7 percent European average, Eurostat figures showed.
Cyprus hopes to boost its share of renewable energy to 23 percent by 2030 as part of its National Energy and Climate Plan.
However, a shift to green power faces many hurdles.
“The problem is renewable energies are unpredictable,” said Markos Asprou, an electricity specialist at the University of Cyprus’ KIOS research center. “In case of shortfall, you need to be able to act.”
Cyprus, which is about 800km from the Greek mainland, its nearest EU neighbor, does not have a nearby national power network that can bail it out in an emergency.
In 2011, the island’s main Vasilikos power plant on the southern coast was damaged by a massive explosion on a nearby naval base.
For weeks, Cyprus had frequent power cuts.
Vasilikos, a 1,478 megawatt oil-powered station using imported diesel and heavy fuel, covers nearly two-thirds of Cyprus’ needs, placing it among the worst EU nations for its use of fossil fuels in generating energy.
In the control room of the plant, codirector George Moniatis points to an empty column on his screen indicating the absence of wind energy.
“What do we do if there’s no wind?” Moniatis asked.
“It’s very difficult. We can only rely on ourselves,” he said.
To overcome its isolation, Cyprus has struck the costly EuroAsia Interconnector deal to link the electricity grid of Cyprus with Israel and Greece.
Last month, Cyprus also signed a deal with Greece and Egypt to transfer electricity through lines connecting the three countries.
Renewable energy does not offer the adaptability to meet its needs, Moniatis said.
Methods for storing renewable energy do exist, but they are complicated and costly.
“People want to sleep with their AC [air conditioner] on, but you don’t have solar energy during the night,” Moniatis said.
Relying on fossil fuels has hit the pockets of consumers.
“With this bill, I got completely caught off guard,” Mouskou said. “It affected our budget for the next few months.”
Despite her support for green energy, Mouskou says she cannot at present afford the cost of switching to solar panels.
“Even with state aid, it is impractical for us,” she said.
Some in Cyprus have found green energy is possible.
At Chirokitia, close to the giant power station, Melissa Ahearn has been living off the grid with her partner for almost a year using solar panels.
“When it comes down to switching to this new lifestyle, you realize you don’t need anything,” the former forex broker said. “Four light bulbs, a phone charger and the computer battery, that’s all.”
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