13 February 2025 - Energy for all, not for the few!
Volt insists that Cyprus' energy policy needs an immediate overhaul. The continued approval of huge photovoltaic parks, such as the ones planned in the areas of Kataliontas, Lythrodontas and Mathiatis, without a comprehensive and clear strategy that includes the energy self-sufficiency of citizens, is a wrong approach that must be changed.
The solution is not to fill the countryside with huge parks, but to support citizens. The state must emphasize the mass installation and effective operation of photovoltaic systems in households and businesses, so that all citizens benefit from the production and consumption of energy.
We inform you that we visited the area where the new photovoltaic park is planned and listened to the concerns of the residents. We fully support the communities that are reacting. We call for an end to practices that put the needs of large companies above the well-being of citizens and the protection of nature.
Instead of new, huge photovoltaic parks, we propose:
Transparency in the approval processes of large parks – any such decision must be made with consultation and consent of local communities.
Facilitating household energy autonomy through subsidies and direct licensing for residential photovoltaics.
Developing energy exchange policies so that households can exchange capacity with each other and sell excess energy to the grid.
Developing energy communities that encourage collective and participatory production and consumption of renewable energy
Upgrading the electricity grid to support decentralized energy production and storage.
Cyprus' energy transition must be fair, inclusive and sustainable. We cannot accept other policies that serve the interests of the few, instead of society as a whole.