Sunny but isolated, Cyprus toils to boost green energy

"We person 340 sunny days per year," Georgia Mouskou said, arsenic sunlight streamed done her windows. "But we're inactive not betting connected renewable energies successful Cyprus."

Faced with her skyrocketing electricity bill, Mouskou says she wants to "rent a plot" to instal solar panels.

Like Mouskou, rising energy costs and biology concerns person caused residents of the eastbound Mediterranean land to spot solar power arsenic an evident option.

In the past year, the fig of star panels accrued by 16 percent, according to the Electricity Authority of Cyprus (EAC).

But Cyprus is inactive struggling to summation its usage of renewable power.

In 2019, conscionable 13.8 percent of its vigor came from star and wind energy, good beneath the 19.7 percent European average, according to Eurostat figures.

Cyprus hopes to boost its stock of renewable vigor to 23 percent by 2030 arsenic portion of its National Energy and Climate Plan.

Heavy polluter

But a displacement to greenish powerfulness faces galore hurdles.

"The occupation is renewable energies are unpredictable," said Markos Asprou, an energy specializer astatine the University of Cyprus' KIOS probe centre. "In lawsuit of shortfall, you request to beryllium capable to act."

Cyprus, which lies immoderate 800 kilometres (500 miles) from the Greek mainland, its nearest EU neighbour, does not person a adjacent nationalist powerfulness web that tin astatine contiguous bail them retired successful an emergency.

In 2011, the island's main Vasilikos powerfulness works connected the island's confederate seashore was damaged by a monolithic detonation connected a adjacent naval base.

For weeks, Cyprus suffered predominant powerfulness cuts.

Vasilikos, a 1,478 megawatt oil-powered presumption utilizing imported diesel and dense fuel, covers astir two-thirds of Cyprus' needs, placing it among the worst EU nations for its usage of fossil fuels successful producing energy.

In the power country of the plant, co-director George Moniatis points to an bare file connected his surface indicating the lack of upwind energy.

"What bash we bash if there's nary wind?" helium said. "It's precise difficult. We tin lone trust connected ourselves."

To flooded its isolation, Cyprus has struck the costly EuroAsia Interconnector woody to nexus the energy grid of Cyprus with Israel and Greece.

In October Cyprus besides signed a woody with Greece and Egypt to transportation energy done lines connecting the 3 countries.

COVID-19 times aside, the land of 800,000 inhabitants indispensable besides grapple with, connected average, immoderate 4 cardinal tourists annually, concentrated successful the hotter summertime months.

Energy needs connected the land surge from 300 megawatts successful the outpouring to 1,200 megawatts successful the sweltering summertime heat, Moniatis said.

'Switching lifestyles'

But renewable vigor doesn't connection the adaptability to conscionable these needs, helium added. Methods for storing renewable energy bash beryllium but they are analyzable and costly.

"People privation to slumber with their AC (air conditioner) on, but you don't person star vigor during the night," Moniatis continued.

But relying connected fossil fuels has deed the pockets of consumers.

A kilowatt-hour outgo 16.97 cents astatine the extremity of 2020, but soared to 21.78 cents successful August, according to the EAC.

"With this bill, I got wholly caught disconnected guard," Mouskou complained. "It affected our fund for the adjacent fewer months."

Despite her enactment for greenish energy, Mouskou says she cannot astatine contiguous spend the outgo of switching to star panels.

"Even with authorities aid, it is impractical for us," she said.

But immoderate successful Cyprus person recovered green energy is possible, seeing it arsenic the future.

At Chirokitia, adjacent to the elephantine power station, Melissa Ahearn has been surviving disconnected the grid with her spouse for astir a twelvemonth utilizing star panels.

"When it comes down to switching to this caller lifestyle, you realise you don't request anything," the erstwhile forex broker said. "Four airy bulbs, a telephone charger and the machine battery, that's all."

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© 2021 AFP