Sunny but too isolated, Cyprus struggles to increase the share of renewable energy in its electric mix

""Three hundred and forty days of sun per year, but we still do not put on renewable energies in Cyprus"" despairs Georgia Mouskou, in his living room bathed in light in Nicosie.In front of her electricity bill, the thirties says he wants to ""rent a plot"" to install solar panels there.

On the Mediterranean island, in one year, the number of panels installed by individuals increased by 16%, according to the Cypriot Electricity Authority (EAC).However, Cyprus is struggling to increase its share of solar and wind energy.In 2019, it stagnated at 13.8%, below the European average (19.7%), according to the latest figures from the European Eurostat Statistics Office.Cyprus hopes to see its share of renewable energies reach 23% by 2030, according to its national action plan.

The problem, according to MarkosAsprou, electricity specialist at the Cypriot Kios research center, is that renewable energy production is ""difficult to predict"".""During the day, we have energy of photovoltaic origin.At night, we fall to zero, ""explains GiorgosMoniatis, the co -director of the main power production center on the island, Vassilikos.To compensate for the lack of renewable energy, ""the network must be flexible, which is not the case in Cyprus"" because of its isolation, indicates M.Asprou.

Isolation

In the event of a deficiency, the island cannot count on the network of any neighboring country.Located more than 800 km from the first European coasts - those of Greece -, it is not connected to any other electrical system.Hence, according to M.Asprou, la lenteur du développement de l'énergie renouvelable par rapport à d'autres pays de l'Union européenne (UE).

To accelerate it, it would take a solution to guarantee the supply of energy during production hollows such as ""storage or interconnection with other countries, etc..""He explains.But if technologies to store electricity of renewable origin exist, it is currently difficult and expensive to put them in place on a large scale, according to experts in the sector.

In the Vassilikos control room, M.Moniatis shows an empty column on a screen: on the whole of the island, not a breath of wind.The blades of wind turbines remain motionless.Vassilikos, which covers 61.5% of the island's electricity needs, burns heavy fuel oil and diesel, fossil fuels that place Cyprus among the most polluting countries of the EU.""What do we do if there is no wind?"" Asks M.Moniatis.""It's very difficult.We can only count on ourselves.""

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To break its isolation, Cyprus multiplies agreements and projects, such as the very expensive Euroasia Interconnector, co -financed by the EU, which aims to connect the electrical networks of Cyprus to those of Israel and Greece.On October 19, Cyprus, Greece and Egypt also signed an electrical energy transfer agreement for the interconnection of the three countries.

Consumption peaks

The Republic of Cyprus also faces a particular demographic factor which leads to peaks of consumption: its 800,000 inhabitants welcome around four million tourists per year, especially in summer, excluding pandemic of COVVI-19.The needs of electrical capacity of the island thus went this year from 300 megawatts (MW) in the spring to 1,200 MW this summer, underlines M.Moniatis. Pendant les nuits estivales étouffantes, ""tout le monde veut dormir avec l'air conditionné, mais la nuit il n'y a pas d'énergie solaire donc on doit compter sur les turbines"" de la centrale, rappelle le codirecteur.

Pour les consommateurs, ""le coût de l'électricité ne cesse d'augmenter, ça plombe notre budget"", déplore Georgia Mouskou.The price of the kilowatt hour (kWh) increased from 16.97 cents at the end of 2020, to 21.78 cents in August 2021, or more than 28% increase, according to figures from the EAC.

But according to Ms. Mouskou, the transformation of her accommodation to use green energy would cost a fortune. ""Même avec des aides de l'État, c'est irréalisable pour nous"", regrette-t-elle.

Another solution could be to rethink its lifestyle.In Chirokitia, only six kilometers from Vassilikos, two solar panels are enough for the needs of Melissa Ahearn and his companion. ""Quatre ampoules, un chargeur de téléphone et la batterie de l'ordinateur, c'est tout ce qu'il nous faut !"", assure celle qui a longtemps travaillé sur les marchés boursiers.