THE GOVERNMENT is hoping to exceed its target for 10 per cent use of renewable energy by 2010, Parliament was told yesterday.
Andreas Petrondas and Solon Kasinis, president and deputy president respectively of the Fund for the Promotion and Use of Renewable Energy told the House Finance Committee that applications from the public were increasing dramatically. “It is evident that the public interest to participate in the plan has increased considerably during the second year of the Fund’s operation,” which started in 2004.
According to Petrondas, application forms had been simplified and with the employment of new staff, the approval of applications for photovoltaic systems or wind farms would pick up speed.
Kasinis added that the Electricity Authorities of Cyprus (EAC) had agreed to provide each household with five economy bulbs as part of the national effort to save energy. The Fund will pay the authority 20 cents per bulb to help cover the costs of the plan.
According to figures submitted to Parliament, the Fund’s budget for 2006 includes an income of £5,810,000 and total expenditure of £7,295,900.
Income is mainly from the deposit to the Fund of £0.13 per kW of electricity consumption, with £430,000 from interests on the Fund’s deposits.
A special service provided by the Commerce Ministry will provide the public “with information on the different plans for Renewable Energy Sources,” Petrondas told the Committee.
“During 2005, there was a 185 per cent increase in the number of applications compared to 2004. We had 900 applications in 2004 and 2,700 applications in 2005,” Petrondas said.
This, he added, “proves that the public has started to become sensitised and seek information and it is our obligation to inform them both individually and through the media, because renewable energy is of significant importance to the reduction of dependency on imported energy.”
Kasinis said 38 per cent of the 2,700 applications submitted had so far been approved. “And yesterday we announced that we will be employing extra staff, so that the rhythm can be increased.”
Most of the applications, Kasinis continued, concern solar systems, and energy saving measures – house insulation, wind energy systems, photovoltaic systems and others.
The Finance Committee was also informed on the production of electricity from other renewable sources, such as biomass and biomass, while Kasinis said there had been a lot of interest from private investors for the instalment of wind farms. The construction of wind farms is being examined mainly for the areas of Paralimni and Ayia Napa, where the farms will operate “hidden” behind windmills.
