SREC - Storage and Renewables Electrifying Cyprus

It  is  widely  known  that penetration of  renewables  in autonomous  and/or  weak  grids  is  a  difficult  task  because  of  the  weak  correlation  between  demand  side  and  Renewable Energy Sources (RES)   availability.    Additionally  it  has  been  widely  proved  that  storage  of  electricity  can  significantly  improve  the correlation  between  demand  side  and  RES  availability  thus  improving  the  possibility  of  RES  penetration  in  the autonomous  system.   Several   researchers  and results  from  applications  have  shown that  additional  benefits  exist  when  storage  can  be  applied.  These  benefits  include easier  planning  of  the  operation  of  the  conventional  power  plants,  maintenance  scheduling,  minimizing  stand-by  operation  units.

Despite  the  above benefits  there  is  not  yet  a  coherent  and  streamlined frame  for  the  promotion  and  support  of  storage  applications  especially  under  the  current EC  directives,  in  Cyprus.  This  definitely  results  in  a bottleneck  regarding  the  development   and  operation  of  storage  systems  and  consequently  forms  a  major  roadblock  for  the  development  and  penetration  of  renewables  in  Cyprus.

SREC project aims in building upon current knowledge on technological advances in storage and hybridization possibilities and technologies, as well as knowledge generated through dedicated research performed in the past e.g. projects, such as STORIES, an Intelligent Energy Europe project on “Addressing barriers to Storage technologies for increasing the penetration of Intermittent Energy Sources”. Moreover, applications of smart grid technologies can be found across the world, from isolated islands to very large integrated systems. For developed countries, smart grid technologies can be used to upgrade, modernize or extend old grid systems, while at the same time providing opportunities for new, innovative solutions to be implemented. For developing and emerging countries, smart grid technologies are essential to avoid lock-in of outdated energy infrastructure, attract new investment streams, and create efficient and flexible grid systems that will be able to accommodate rising electricity demand and a range of different power sources.