How Cyprus Became a World Leader In Solar Heating (theguardian.com) 10
The republic of Cyprus "has outstripped all other EU member states in embracing hot-water solar systems," reports the Guardian, "with an estimated 93.5 % of households exploiting the alternative energy form for domestic needs."
EU figures show the eastern Mediterranean island exceeding renewable energy targets set in the heating and cooling of buildings thanks to the widespread use of the solar thermal technology... [First introduced in the late 1960s], the solar thermal systems not only collected solar energy as heat — usually generated through electricity and the burning of fossil fuels — they were extremely cost-effective and had helped spawn an entire industry [says Charalampos Theopemptou, the island's first environment commissioner and the head of the Cypriot parliament's environment committee].
"It's been great for low-income families and then there's the jobs: so many have been generated," the MP says. "There are the local manufacturers who produce the parts and then all the people who are trained to install them. It's big business." In his role as environment commissioner, Theopemptou pushed hard to make the solar systems obligatory on all newly constructed residential and commercial buildings... The popularity of the water heaters is such that a union of local solar thermal industrialists was established in 1977. Since then, more than 962,564 square cubic metres of "solar [panel] collectors" have been installed, the union says. Increasingly, the country's vibrant tourist industry has also resorted to the green solution with solar-powered hot water systems deployed in, they say, close to 100% of hotels...
For Demetra Asprou, a retired engineer, it's obvious that a region blessed with more than 300 days of sunshine a year should embrace solar energy. "It reduces electricity costs, increases the efficiency with which hot water is provided and is kind to the environment," she says. "Why would anyone use other, more traditional means to heat up water when only a few hours of sunlight, between 11am and 2pm, is enough for a 200-litre [44-gallon] tank to be filled with warm water that will last 48 hours? On days when there is no sunlight, which is rare, you always have electricity as a backup if necessary... Installation costs may be three times higher today, but there are EU-funded grants that the government hands out and within a year it's all paid off," she says. "After that, you basically have free hot water and see your electricity bills greatly reduced. In a country like Cyprus, it's a no-brainer."
Thanks to Slashdot reader votsalo for sharing the article.
"It's been great for low-income families and then there's the jobs: so many have been generated," the MP says. "There are the local manufacturers who produce the parts and then all the people who are trained to install them. It's big business." In his role as environment commissioner, Theopemptou pushed hard to make the solar systems obligatory on all newly constructed residential and commercial buildings... The popularity of the water heaters is such that a union of local solar thermal industrialists was established in 1977. Since then, more than 962,564 square cubic metres of "solar [panel] collectors" have been installed, the union says. Increasingly, the country's vibrant tourist industry has also resorted to the green solution with solar-powered hot water systems deployed in, they say, close to 100% of hotels...
For Demetra Asprou, a retired engineer, it's obvious that a region blessed with more than 300 days of sunshine a year should embrace solar energy. "It reduces electricity costs, increases the efficiency with which hot water is provided and is kind to the environment," she says. "Why would anyone use other, more traditional means to heat up water when only a few hours of sunlight, between 11am and 2pm, is enough for a 200-litre [44-gallon] tank to be filled with warm water that will last 48 hours? On days when there is no sunlight, which is rare, you always have electricity as a backup if necessary... Installation costs may be three times higher today, but there are EU-funded grants that the government hands out and within a year it's all paid off," she says. "After that, you basically have free hot water and see your electricity bills greatly reduced. In a country like Cyprus, it's a no-brainer."
Thanks to Slashdot reader votsalo for sharing the article.
WTF (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
five dimensional meters
Re: (Score:2)
no - six.
Well if we had that... (Score:1)
Re: (Score:2)
Uh .. live in California .. pretty sure most of this state has that. Also multiple other states have that .. if solar'd a few dozen square miles of Arizona or New Mexico, and made corresponding distributed battery banks, we could power the whole USA with solar. Reference: https://landartgenerator.org/b... [landartgenerator.org]
Sunny countries with lots of sun use the sun (Score:3)
Cyprus is a sunny country with 320 days of sunshine and an arid climate with few clouds.
It should surprise no one that water heaters make more sense there than in, say, Finland.
Also, electricity is 34 euros/kwh in Cyprus.
Warm, sunny countries all over the world use solar water heaters.
Re: (Score:2)
1) Move your entire country as far south as you practically can.
2) ???
3) Profit!
Ripped mine out recently (Score:4, Interesting)
I am in a sunny spot and the system worked great for ~14 years. Then it leaked. Replacing it was about 5x the cost of a heat pump unit, so I went the HPWH route. A single 100W solar panel is enough to offset its energy use on an annual basis; a 400W panel and 12V/100Ah battery could run it off-grid year-round.
Why can't we? (Score:2)
Why can't we double down on solar? You realize that once you spend the capital expenditure to get solar, well water, EV, and a house. Your family can live while you're virtually jobless? There'll be no such thing as an economic downturn as you can live on savings of a few hundred bucks a month (mostly for internet/Starlink), and maybe food if you don't wanna grow your own food (possible in most of the US if you have 2 acres). You only need to get (free) Obamacare and life insurance for your family. Public s