Farmers want state help to go solar

FARMERS yesterday called for incentives to create photovoltaic systems.

According to the general secretary of farming association Panagrotikos, Nicos Karyos, the association has sent a written plea to the commerce and agriculture ministries asking for discussions over how to implement a specific policy.

“We feel these investments need to be viable, through sufficient funding from the state and the supply of satisfactory prices for the surplus production to be purchased by the EAC (Electricity Authority of Cyprus),” said Karyos. “Our plea is for plans to be immediately prepared to fund the instalment of photovoltaic and other systems, which will be awarded by priority to farmers and will serve the goal to increase Cyprus’s share of energy productions from renewable energy sources (RES), the reduction of electricity costs for farmers and the reinforcement of their income from using their land for these reasons.”

DISY deputy Kyriacos Hadjiyiannis agreed to the need for a holistic policy. “There is a demand for a political framework to implement photovoltaic systems,” said Hadjiyiannis. “The prospect of producing electricity is vast and hugely important to farmers, who will receive an added income. It will contribute to our goal for RES production by the year 2020.”

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