Nicosia, Cyprus. Residential solar panel owners in Cyprus faced repeated production cutoffs over the past month, with some systems taken offline up to 17 times, according to media reports on Tuesday. Daily Phileleftheros cited data made available by the Electricity Authority (EAC) covering April 4 to May 4.
Cutoffs and frequency
The data showed cutoffs ranging between 15 and 17 times across 20 groups of residential solar installations. In most cases, systems were taken offline roughly every other day, and sometimes on consecutive days when electricity consumption was particularly low.
Reason for curtailments
The EAC’s Distribution System Operator curtails electricity production from solar when needed to maintain grid stability and ensure safe operation. Cutoffs are triggered when electricity consumption drops significantly below production levels.
Broader context and potential measures
According to Daily Phileleftheros, the practice is not unique to Cyprus and is also applied in European countries with more developed grid infrastructure. The paper reported that the frequency of cutoffs could be reduced through energy storage, grid reinforcement, or electrical interconnection with other countries.
Outlook as installations increase
With residential solar installations expected to reach 100,000 units, the paper reported that cutoffs could become more frequent under current conditions.
Zero-export option
Solar panel owners can legally avoid cutoffs by applying to convert their connection to a zero-export arrangement, where energy produced is used exclusively for self-consumption and not fed into the grid. Zero-export, or zero-feed-in, is an operating mode for solar PV systems that prevents surplus electricity from being fed into the public grid by using smart controllers to match inverter output with local consumption, ensuring energy is used on-site, stored in batteries, or curtailed rather than exported.
A Zero Export Device or smart meter measures power at the grid entry point. If solar generation exceeds household demand, the controller instructs the inverter to reduce output to prevent export.
Would you consider switching your solar system to a zero-export arrangement to avoid production cutoffs?