Cyprus’ record curtailment did not come as a surprise. A year ago, the local transmission grid operator predicted the country would need to curtail 28% of its domestic renewable energy generation in 2024 due to low seasonal demand and the need to keep the network stable.
CyprusGrid, an energy analytics platform focused on Cyprus' electricity sector, reported that 29% of the country's renewable electricity was curtailed last year.
Andreas Procopiou, founder of CyprusGrid, told pv magazine that the calculations are based on publicly available data from local network operators.
In 2022, Cyprus curtailed 3.3% of renewable energy. That figure rose to 13.4% in 2023 before reaching a record 29% last year, equal to the annual electricity consumption of about 28,000 households, said Procopiou.
In 2024, Cyprus installed 159 MW of new PV capacity, mainly through net metering and net billing systems. The country now has 1,478 MW of fossil fuel plants, 797 MW of solar PV, 155 MW of wind power, and 12.4 MW of biomass plants.
“Despite adding more renewable energy plants in the system, the actual contribution of each installed megawatt to the island’s electricity demand has declined over the years,” said Procopiou. “This is because the electricity system has not developed the necessary flexibility to accommodate the growing share of variable renewable energy generation. To keep the grid stable at all times, operators must still run fossil fuel plants, which leads to the curtailment of green power. These curtailments become more frequent during periods of lower demand, such as in autumn and spring. Unless the country embraces energy storage and modern energy management, Cyprus will continue wasting green energy.”
The Cypriot Ministry of Energy, Commerce and Industry recently launched the country’s first subsidy scheme for large-scale energy storage systems. The program requires storage to be installed alongside existing renewable energy plants.
pv magazine has reported on the new subsidy scheme, but questions remain over whether it can add storage capacity quickly enough to prevent the island from wasting cheap, emissions-free renewable energy.
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It’s unfortunate to see Cyprus curtailing such a significant portion of renewable energy. This raises concerns about the effectiveness of their energy policies and the potential impact on the environment. I hope they can find a balance that supports both energy needs and sustainability.
So in order to keep the coal plants running, they curtail solar power.
When the HVDC link comes in, Cyprus should be able to put the coal plant into standby. Before then, they will need batteries to provide grid services.
Did no one think of this?
Cyprus will benefit when the electricity interconnector to Greece is switched on. I’m surprised that this is not mentioned in the article.