Changes to the Second "Photovoltaics for All" Plan

Minister George Papanastasiou claims that the Ministry of Energy is developing an improved second plan since the 6000 application limit of the "Photovoltaics for All" (A3) sponsorship plan has been exceeded.

In an interview, Minister of Energy, Trade and Industry George Papanastasiou said that out of the 6000 applications, over 4000 had been examined and either pre-approval or rejection for those who applied follows from this.

"Individuals who were turned down did not fit the project's requirements," Minister Papanastasiou said.

Pre-approved households have ten months to set in place their solar systems. "It's now up to the pre-approved applicants to proceed with the installation", he underlined.

New plan will be announced in September

The Energy Department is now developing a new plan in order to meet the high demand and the large number of people who were not able to take advantage of the first one. There will be a number of adjustments to this new plan, and its announcement is scheduled for September.

The yearly electricity requirement is one sector that has changed significantly. The new plan will allow households with an annual consumption of up to 6800 kWh to apply, up from the current limit of 6000 kWh. Additionally, there are considerations for varying the subsidy amounts to better accommodate higher consumption households.

Limited number of installations completed

Even though there is a lot of interest, there are still not many solar systems that are fully repaired and working. This is partly because it takes at least three weeks for the provider (AHK) to connect.

Energy Service officials feel frustrated that constant critiques and bad press have put too much load on the system and taken away from their time to talk to concerned citizens.

Consumer complaints and existing plan provisions

The Cyprus Consumers Association recently highlighted an increase in complaints concerning energy sector plans, particularly the "Photovoltaics for All" project. Concerns were raised regarding the length of the guarantee provided by companies and the restrictions on kilowatt-hour usage outlined in the current plan's guidelines.

The current "Photovoltaic for All" plan (A3) provides an amount of €250 per kW, with a maximum allow of €1,000 for systems up to 4kW. Additionally, there is a payment of €1,000 per kW for investments, with a maximum limit of €4,000. This category is supported by the RES and EE fund and is open to households with an annual consumption of up to 6000 kWh in the previous year.