EAC produces misleading figures to back up curtailments

[mark4007]

The article

https://in-cyprus.philenews.com/insider ... -globally/

quotes some misleading analysis of the effect of curtailments on residential properties

Recently installed PV systems have cut off systems on them such that the EAC can shut down inverters and this is going on.

Not surprisingly for those with new systems installed that are being cut off are not happy.

The EAC produces figures to support the idea that it is not costing those customers very much. However the EAC is wrong. They are looking at the effect over a year for those that have already stored up units. But that is not what is happening - the EAC are cutting of those who have not had their installations for very long and may well have sufficent stored up units to be able to draw down on if their system is cut off. The loss of Euro 12 per month is a load of rubbish. The loss is much higher paricularly at present. If the EAC want to calculate the cost of the curtailments it should use figures for March and assume that those impacted do not have any stored up credits and have to pay the full cost of elecriticty for the elecriticy they consume when they have their PV systems curtailed.

[johnandjen1]

Are any solar companies advising potential customers of this negative?

[cyprusmax47]

The curtailment at my grid line happened this year only once, a couple of days ago when we had strong winds and clear cold weather with plenty of sunshine.

It happens, how the article explained :that under specific conditions when production exceeds consumption, measures must be taken to ensure grid stability. In such cases, the independent TSO issues specific instructions to the EAC to limit renewable energy production."

In times when you don't need air-cons for heating (as it is already warm enough) or cooling (no need yet) your household consumption is anyhow very low, so some hours less production won't hurt too much. Later in the year you will have plenty credit on your meter and prices of 3-4 c/kWh.

The benefit of a solar PV net-metering system is so great long-term (after 3-4 years you have your capital back) that there is not even one moment to regret to have installed one. My 2-monthly EAC bills are between 15 and 25 Euros throughout the year, thanks to a 3 kWp PV system installed from Green Air Paphos.

Hopefully with the new generators EAC is installing at Dhekelia in future, the problem will be less, as their new technology can be regulated up and down in much shorter times, hence the grid can be controlled much better than at the moment.

Max

[WHL]

In larnaca over 6 months mine was cut once for a couple of hours only.

[trevnhil]

Instead of cutting the (too much) electricity made by solar panels, why don't they cut the electricity made by dirty fuel oil at the power stations. You know, the oil that we pay a fine to the EU, and it is on all our bills for using it..

[johnandjen1]

Surely that’s too much common sense Trevor!

I know of friends who have recently commissioned PV panels which have been ‘turned off’ for periods of ca 4 hrs several times in the last fortnight. I doubt they have built much credit and are rightly annoyed, particularly as the curtailments, as you put it Max, are typically 10:00-14:00 or longer.

I do not doubt the benefit from the many aspects of PV panels but potential Customers should be made aware of the downsides.

[PolemIan]

Instead of cutting the (too much) electricity made by solar panels, why don't they cut the electricity made by dirty fuel oil at the power stations. You know, the oil that we pay a fine to the EU, and it is on all our bills for using it..

That’s pretty much the point of the problem Trevor.

The current ageing generators at the power stations, according to an article a few months back, are incapable being ‘turned down’ low enough when demand is low but PV production is high - think of a mild sunny winter day, so the only variable left is to ‘reject’ the energy so that the network can cope with the total energy entering the system. That how my uninformed brain assesses it anyway.

You couldn’t make it up:
- one week were told that we produce too much from PV
- literally the next week there was the threat of rolling 30 minute power cuts across the island due to a fault
- and now this week there’s another problem with the tenders for new generators at Dhekalia.

So over the last 2 or 3 years people have been encouraged to go down the PV route - presumably to keep the EU happy that we are meeting, or moving towards, targets ( I don’t know the detail on that but I bet they exist), meanwhile it looks and feels very much like there hasn’t been enough forward planning or investment in infrastructure to ensure our network can cope.

I see to recall that the original “PV for all” scheme was going to include batteries for residential installations but that got dropped. Logically, that would massively reduce the load on the network. It will probably be relaunched as a new and innovative idea.

It’s ironic that Europe’s largest battery storage site for energy has just gone live….. in Scotland. Ok so Cyprus may not generate as much renewables as Scotland from wind and tidal, but I reckon there’s a fair chance of being ahead in terms of solar.

I think that residential battery scsheme must have been filed with the quote from some ministry bod a few years ago after a water shortage period along the lines of ‘Cyprus will never again be wholly dependent on rainfall”. Anybody know of the destroyed desalination plant for Paphos has been reinstated?

[jeba]

The problem with batteries is the cost. I was quoted €6000 for a 5kWh battery. It might make more sense to get an electric car and that for energy storage.

[Paul]

Go back to 2022 the EAC tried to set a limit that would cap the amount of electric you could generate to 90% of your yearly use.
This was stopped by the EU as it went against the 100% policy.
Now there turning off PV systems to do the same thing, so you end up buying electric when you do not need it!

[kansas]

Ha ha Polimian, I well remember the comment that Cyprus will never again be wholly dependent on water, after the last set of water cuts, and how thankful we were!

[kansas]

Ha ha Polimian, I well remember the comment that Cyprus will never again be wholly dependent on water, after the last set of water cuts, and how thankful we were!

[Dominic]

I think that residential battery scsheme must have been filed with the quote from some ministry bod a few years ago after a water shortage period along the lines of ‘Cyprus will never again be wholly dependent on rainfall”. Anybody know of the destroyed desalination plant for Paphos has been reinstated?

That's a good question. There is a new desalination plant due to be built in Kissonerga which they say will be finished towards the end of 2025. They also say the existing plant will be repaired and reopen towards the end of 2025. Why a repair should take the same time as a new build which they have not yet even started, is beyond me.

[PolemIan]

I think that residential battery scsheme must have been filed with the quote from some ministry bod a few years ago after a water shortage period along the lines of ‘Cyprus will never again be wholly dependent on rainfall”. Anybody know of the destroyed desalination plant for Paphos has been reinstated?

That's a good question. There is a new desalination plant due to be built in Kissonerga which they say will be finished towards the end of 2025. They also say the existing plant will be repaired and reopen towards the end of 2025. Why a repair should take the same time as a new build which they have not yet even started, is beyond me.

Thanks - I hadn’t seen that about Kissonerga.

The repair project could potentially take longer depending on the scale and nature of the damage - perhaps takes more prep work than with a clean site.

[Dominic]

Regarding Kissonerga, it got delayed because of local objections to its siting at Potima Bay. Apparently Kissonerga Council wanted it moved 150 metres inland and the Akamas Municipality wanted it moved somewhere else entirely because it would clash with the look of the Marina.

Regarding the repair, I remember when I visited the shell of the old site a few years ago, there was an awful lot of concrete involved. I guess if that was affected by the fire then getting it removed would take time.

[Expresspete]

So it’s March 17 and so far I’ve had my production cut 7 times with an average of 4.5 hours per session…..

[WHL]

So it’s March 17 and so far I’ve had my production cut 7 times with an average of 4.5 hours per session…..

Hi , can i ask you if you installed the panels privately or did you install them using the government funded scheme ?
It might be a load of BS but someone told me, the government funded ones were cut off more.

[staffie]

nothing to do with gov funding, now new inverters have a wiget installed in them so eac can cut your export off to the grid when to much elec is being produced so the more panels fitted to new installments the more cut off happens, be warned if eac don't improve electricity storage panels could be cut off daily, expensive gamble, older inverters do not have the wiget installed so no cut off, hope this helps to people thinking about this.

[jeba]

So it’s March 17 and so far I’ve had my production cut 7 times with an average of 4.5 hours per session…..

Within what time frame was this? One month? One year?

[Dominic]

Here's an interesting follow-up article to the one featured at the top:

https://cyprus-mail.com/2025/03/16/freq ... -stability

Here's a bit:

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.

[Expresspete]

So it’s March 17 and so far I’ve had my production cut 7 times with an average of 4.5 hours per session…..

Hi , can i ask you if you installed the panels privately or did you install them using the government funded scheme ?
It might be a load of BS but someone told me, the government funded ones were cut off more.

Privately (via one of this forums main sponsors) I have no problem with the company who completed the installation (operational from May 2023), EAC however……