The Transmission System Operator of Cyprus (TSOC) predicts that transmission and distribution grid operators might want to curtail 28% of the nation’s annual inexperienced vitality manufacturing in 2024.
February 5, 2024
The TSOC stated that the curtailment of renewable vitality in Cyprus is important to ensure the soundness of the electrical energy community, given the robust uptake of photo voltaic, the shortage of put in vitality storage capability on the island, and the dearth of electrical energy interconnections with neighboring international locations.
pv journal has offered the urgent concern of Cyprus’ renewable energy curtailments earlier than, however curtailments are anticipated to achieve unprecedented ranges within the coming 12 months.
The TSOC stated it expects the island’s annual curtailments to achieve 28% of all generated inexperienced electrical energy in 2024. Curtailments in March, April and Might may attain 59%, 79% and 51%, respectively, stated the TSOC. Curtailments from July to September, when the nation turns into a preferred vacationer vacation spot and demand for air-conditioning rises, are predicted to vary from simply 0% to five%.
The TSOC stated that these predictions apply solely to renewable energy services monitored by the nation’s transmission and distribution networks through SCADA methods. This consists of wind farms and about 47% of the island’s PV capability. Nevertheless, if it accounts for all solar energy technology, together with unmonitored photo voltaic vitality, curtailments in 2024 may lower to round 13%, stated the TSOC.
Renewable vitality skilled Dr. Andreas Procopiou instructed pv journal that small residential and business photo voltaic PV installations should not sometimes monitored by the community operators’ SCADA methods. In conditions characterised by vital imbalances between technology and demand, community operators can resort to different management strategies resembling ripple management.
This provides them the pliability to exert a definite stage of administration over smaller installations, and the choice to disconnect them from the community if obligatory. At present, the curtailment problem in Cyprus primarily impacts massive photo voltaic vegetation, with no provision for monetary compensation for the curtailed technology.
Procopiou stated that “the nation’s grid operators curtailed about 3.3% and 13.4% of the annual generated inexperienced vitality in 2022 and 2023 respectively.” This solely considerations the vitality from the items which can be monitored by the community operators. The TSOC is now anticipating that this determine will leap as much as 28% in 2024.
“This can’t be a sustainable scenario for renewable vitality traders,” stated Procopiou.
The primary lesson for policymakers is that Cyprus urgently wants vitality storage, he added.
“Cyprus lined about 20% of its electrical energy wants in 2023 through renewables,” stated Procopiou. “We received’t have the ability to decarbonise our vitality system additional until we embrace vitality storage and new, sensible methods of working our networks.”
However the satan is within the particulars, he stated.
“The nation’s electrical energy market doesn’t have an open, liberalised construction and remains to be a mirrored image of the previous. The federal government ought to open the electrical energy market, together with vitality storage, to competitors,” defined Procopiou. “Solely the brand new applied sciences coupled with market aggressive can supply Cyprus the options it wants.”
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