Process

The installation of PV panels requires first and foremost the approval of the Electricity Authority of Cyprus (EAC) since the electricity produced is fed back to the main electricity grid. The procedure is as follows:

There are instances that permission from the town planning & housing authorities will be required. The most common reasons to seek such approval are when:

• The installation requires solar tracking devices (mechanisms installed on the mounting systems of the panels that follow the sun and maximise energy yield, but increase costs).
• The panels are installed on a plot of land that does not contain a building with the relevant building permits, e.g. an open field.
• The proposed installation is happening on a building or in area that has been characterised as an archaeological site.
• The panel arrays installed do not conform to certain spatial regulations, such as their height above, and their distance from the edge of the roof.

In these cases there is an extra step involved:

For commercial installations smaller than 20 kWp, the process is identical to the residential, with town planning involvement only if it’s required, as seen above.

Commercial projects in the 21 kWp to 150 kWp range need further approval by the Cyprus Energy Regulatory Authority, a government body that overlooks the energy sector in Cyprus. The reason for this is that the installation is big enough to influence the operations of the grid as a whole.

The town planning authority involvement is not necessary, but the project has to conform to certain rules. The most common reasons for town planning involvement are still the ones listed above, in which case the procedure becomes

In Nova Energia we understand the frustration from lengthy procedures, and will strive to realise your project as hassle-free as possible. To help us further, please refer to the ‘necessary documents’ section where you can find a short list of the documents that have to be collected from your behalf to make the procedure faster and easier.