By Tim Kremer 

Residents of Cyprus who have invested in solar energy are growing increasingly frustrated as their solar systems are frequently shut down by the Electricity Authority of Cyprus (EAC) through ripple control events.

These shutdowns, which block solar power production from homes and businesses, have become a regular occurrence – leaving many to wonder why clean, renewable energy is being wasted in a country that has some of the highest electricity prices in Europe.

EAC has defended these shutdowns by claiming they are “standard international practice” for grid stability. However, what they fail to mention is that ripple control should only be used as a last resort – not as a routine measure. The real reason Cyprus is shutting down so much solar power is that the country has failed to implement basic grid management solutions that other nations have adopted to balance electricity supply and demand.

In 2024, over 30 per cent of Cyprus’ solar energy production was curtailed, meaning that instead of being used to power homes and businesses, this clean energy was simply discarded.

Curtailment happens when grid operators deliberately reduce the output of renewable energy sources, like solar or wind, to prevent overloading the grid. While curtailment is sometimes necessary in extreme situations, in most modern energy systems, it is minimised through solutions like battery storage, flexible electricity pricing and better grid infrastructure.

Yet, Cyprus has done none of these things, leading to an excessive and unnecessary amount of wasted solar energy.

Other countries have managed to integrate high levels of renewable energy into their grids without frequent shutdowns. Here’s how:

1. Grid battery storage: Many European nations have adopted large-scale battery storage to capture excess renewable energy and use it when demand is high. Countries like Germany, Greece, Spain and France have installed gigawatt-hours of grid-scale batteries to stabilise their electricity networks.

Cyprus, however, has been the slowest country in the entire EU to adopt grid battery storage, despite having one of the highest potentials for solar energy. Without storage, any excess solar power must either be immediately used or wasted – leading to frequent curtailments.

2. Time-of-use pricing: Many countries encourage smarter electricity consumption by introducing time-of-use pricing, which means lower electricity rates when there is a surplus of solar energy and higher rates during peak demand hours. This system helps shift energy consumption patterns, ensuring that more solar power is used rather than wasted.

Despite the effectiveness of this approach, Cyprus has failed to implement a proper time-of-use pricing system, making it harder to balance energy supply and demand without resorting to shutting off solar power.

3. Home battery storage: In most advanced energy markets, homeowners and businesses are encouraged to install battery storage systems, such as Tesla Powerwalls or similar solutions, which allow them to store their own solar energy for later use.

However, EAC has placed restrictions on home battery installations, preventing many consumers from using their own stored solar energy and forcing them to remain dependent on the national grid – even when they could be self-sufficient.

4. Grid infrastructure upgrades: Instead of investing in modern grid technology that can handle more renewable energy, Cyprus continues to rely on an outdated electrical system that struggles to accommodate high levels of solar power. This lack of investment is the real reason why so much solar energy is being curtailed – not because it’s unavoidable, but because the grid has not been improved to handle it.

Cyprus had government surpluses last year of over €300 million. They have the money to spend. 

By routinely shutting down solar production, Cyprus is unnecessarily burning more oil for power generation. Instead of using free, renewable solar energy, the country is forced to run its expensive, polluting oil-fired power plants to meet electricity demand.

This not only increases electricity costs for consumers but also results in higher CO₂ emissions, making Cyprus non-compliant with EU climate targets. As a result, the country is facing even higher fines from the European Union for failing to reduce its reliance on fossil fuels.

By relying so heavily on curtailment instead of investing in modern solutions, the EAC is directly harming solar users, increasing costs for all electricity consumers, and damaging Cyprus’s economy through unnecessary EU penalties.

Instead of shutting down solar panels, Cyprus should be:

  • Investing in grid-scale battery storage to absorb excess solar energy.
  • Introducing time-of-use electricity pricing to shift demand and reduce curtailment.
  • Allowing and encouraging more community, home and business battery storage to prevent energy waste.
  • Upgrading the national grid to support higher renewable energy integration.

Until these changes are made, Cyprus will continue to waste its vast solar potential, keeping energy prices high, harming the environment, and forcing consumers to pay the price for outdated policies.

Tim Kremer has a bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Sydney