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Overview
Cyprus promotes RES H&C mainly through subsidies. The Energy Efficiency - Upgrading of Domestic Buildings 2021 offers grants for the purchase and installation of solar water heaters, aerothermal, hydrothermal and geothermal heat pumps in the domestic sector. In addition, the Support Scheme for Solar Water Heaters 2021 supports the purchase and installation of solar water heaters in the domestic sector. Minimum energy requirements are defined for all new and renovated buildings.
For the heating and cooling sector, Cyprus foresees a target of 39.4%. This increase is based on two main technologies, solar thermal and heat pumps. -
Summary of support schemes
● Subsidy (Energy Efficiency- Upgrading of Domestic Buildings 2021): Under the Energy Efficiency - Upgrading of Domestic Buildings 2021, the purchase and installation of solar water heaters, aerothermal, hydrothermal and geothermal heat pumps in the domestic sector are supported. ● Subsidy (Support Scheme for Solar Water Heaters 2021): Under the Support Scheme for Solar Water Heaters 2021, the purchase and installation of new solar water heaters as well as the replacement of existing ones in the domestic sector is supported. ● RES-H building obligations (Minimum energy efficiency requirements & ΝΖΕΒ): Cyprus has defined the minimum energy requirements for all new and renovated buildings and NZEB.
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Competent authorities
● MECI ● RESEC Fund
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Summary
The electricity sector is projected to play the most important role in meeting the 2030 RES target of 22.9%. RES share in the electricity sector was 9.8% in 2019 and is projected to reach 30.3% by 2030. Ground-mounted and rooftop PV will be the major technologies that will contribute to this target. More specifically, the installed PV capacity in Cyprus reached 149.5 MW in 2019 and 804 MW are projected to be deployed by 2030. Apart from that, onshore wind will be the second most important technology. 158 MW of onshore wind capacity have been installed by 2020 and the maximum capacity is expected to reach 198 MW by 2025 and then remain stable until 2030 (NECP Cyprus, 2020). This is the reason, why the permit and authorisation processes for these technologies will be described here in detail.
With regard to the licensing procedure in Cyprus, every RES plant developers should at first take specific planning restrictions into consideration, which will be examined in the administrative authorisation procedure (site selection process). Then, plant developers should apply for an installation licence to Cyprus Regulatory Energy Committee (CERA). RES plants < 5 MW and autonomous electricity producers that produce electricity for own consumption below 1 MW can apply for an exemption. The administrative authorisation process is the most crucial licensing step as it entails the issue of the planning permission by the Planning Authority, where the EIA approval is necessary. In addition, plant developers should apply for a building permit from the Local Authority. The next step foresees the application for an operation license by CERA. Finally, grid connection application is submitted either to the distribution system operator (DSO- Electricity Authority of Cyprus-EAC) or the TSO Cyprus. -
Sequential order of process steps
● Site selection process
● Electricity production license process
● Administrative authorisation process
● Other (Operation license)
● Grid connection permit -
Competent authorities
● CERA
● Municipal/ Local Planning Authorities
● EAC
● TSO Cyprus
● MECI
● MOA
