www.talkcyprus.org

[Dhavlos]

Quote: The Greek Orthodox Church in Cyprus has announced plans to invest $234m (£115m) in solar energy.

Archbishop Chrysostomos II said the church would build a factory that would make photo-voltaic panels to capture the sun's energy.

He said proceeds from the investment would be used to provide financial help to clergy and fund other social work.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/6931310.stm

Intreaging news! but good to see the church supporting renewable energy...something positive (too bad they couldnt try put the money and effort and time into finding a solution to the cyprob! lol)

[city]

Sorry Dhav, but I don't believe that their main point is supporting the use of renewable energy - in my opinion its plain economic reasons.
The demand for such kind of technologies has continuously risen in recent years and I think we all know that the church is a considerable big 'company'.
Plus as he says himself - money will be used to finance the clergy.
The last sentence in the BBCs article says it quite straight. :-)

Quote: The Orthodox Church is among the island's biggest landowners with sizeable investments in banking, construction, hotels and wine-making.

[Mete]

Hey, whether it's for environmental or financial reasons, good to see that someone finally realized the potential of renewable energy in Cyprus. This can only be good to the island regardless of the motivations behind it.

[stavrizatz]

Dhavlos wrote:
Quote: Intreaging news! but good to see the church supporting renewable energy...something positive (too bad they couldnt try put the money and effort and time into finding a solution to the cyprob! lol)

They do put their money for the Cyprus prob...look the other thread - the church putting money for finding the missing people.

Quote: The demand for such kind of technologies has continuously risen in recent years and I think we all know that the church is a considerable big 'company'.

Why do you have to see a positive move with synisism? The Greek orthodox church in Cyprus so far has done very little for money making. They have build schools, the Nicosia show grounds are donated by the church, makario stadium and numerous other projects which were done for the community.

Quote: The last sentence in the BBCs article says it quite straight.
I don't know what the wanted to strech when BBC wrote that but it is true that the church owns lots of properties and has large financial capital, I am not so sure they have hotels but wine making is done by monasteries. The church became really well off during the Ottoman period when the Archbishop of Cyprus was seen as the leader of the Greek Cypriot community. Undrer pressure by the ottomans to seize peoples land, they have given the land to the Orthodox church to save it. That way the church became the owner of many many properties throughout Cyprus.

[stavrizatz]

Actually, just read that the church is doing it indead for financial purposes. The project is an investment to fund the payments account of priests.

[SP]

I must agree with Mete, that irrespective of the motivation, some one is taking Solar Energy seriously at last.

Pricing and government subsidies will indicate exactly how commercial this operation is going to be. We supposedly have 360 days of sunshine on this island , currently going to waste. I just hope that it will not be only the rich who can afford these new panels. In the North I hear that the import duty on photovoltaic panels is 50%. !!!

It embarrasses me that we are not more energy self sufficient and that, clearly, neither government gives a damn.

[thebrix]

city wrote: Sorry Dhav, but I don't believe that their main point is supporting the use of renewable energy - in my opinion its plain economic reasons.
The demand for such kind of technologies has continuously risen in recent years and I think we all know that the church is a considerable big 'company'.

I suspect that such decisions are always economically based, despite attempts to camouflage that reasoning.

My former employer (40,000 staff across the world) suddenly "went green" in a flash, after having shown not the slightest interest for years. It was fairly obvious, reading between the lines, that the real point of that decision was to save millions and millions of pounds per annum - any old electrical components, cleaning services, utilities etc. had just been used without a second thought before the company did some thinking! Virtue was a secondary effect.

(Also interesting was that the company explicitly stated that global warming was a real phenomenon exacerbated by human activity).

[cypezokyli]

the cyprus goverment finances the expences of such an investement at a rate of 55% (if i am not mistaken).
in around 15 years the investment will start paying of.

for money or not, its a good thing

[Dhavlos]

I wasnt clear before....what mete said was what was trying to say(at least hey are using solar, energy, rather than say, build a powerstation if you see what i mean)...and i forgot about the money they put into the CMP so sorry for that too :P

[erolz]

As I understand things what is need from government more than subsidy is the ability to sell excess solar generated electricty into the national grid.

The big problem with solar, as I understand it, on a 'stand alone' basis is that you require large amounts of batteries to store the electricity produced when the sun is shinning so you can use it when the sun is not shinning - and these have their own environmental cost. Allowing private indivduals to sell their excess solar electricty into the grid means you do not need huge banks of batteries yourself. You simply sell any excess when the sun is shinning into the grid and draw from the grid when it is not shinning.

The longer term potential solution to the 'battery' problem may well be to produce hydrogen with excess solar electricty and then store the hydrogen and use this to power an efficent hydrogen generator when there is no solar power available. However my understanding is that the technology to do this at the 'home' level is not yet available at a cost that is justifiable.

[city]

Hey, I didn't want to say that it's all bad. Sure it's good if someone, for whatever reason, invests in renewable energy. I just wanted to make the point that the church is not doing that out of altruistic reasons. I mean it's good that the cost of clergy will be paid from that instead of funding it through tax or whatever.

They do own some of the best hotels on the island.
As i said - better to use such money instead of bounties from the people.

btw, here people can sell their solar energy that exceeds their personal needs into the grid. It's supported by the government. They made a special law for this.

[erolz]

city wrote: btw, here people can sell their solar energy that exceeds their personal needs into the grid. It's supported by the government. They made a special law for this.

Yes for me this is what a progressive government that wants to promote private usage of solar energy for ecological reasons, not just cost and dependency reasons, needs to do. Well done that government :)

[SP]

cypezokyli wrote: the cyprus goverment finances the expences of such an investement at a rate of 55% (if i am not mistaken).
in around 15 years the investment will start paying of.

for money or not, its a good thing

That sounds like a move in the right direction. We in the north appear to be penalised for wanting to save energy. ( The duty on panels to heat water isn't as high)
A professor at EMU (University in Famagusta) tried to interest our Govt. some years ago in the system that "city" mentions, even as far as getting the electric meter that Siemens manufacture which measures the flow of current both ways, i.e. into the "Grid" and out of the "Grid". Unfortunately he was met with a stone wall and went on to produce a machine that crushed aluminium cans. (?).

There is a danger of Monopoly pricing if the Church end up being the only manufacturer of Photovoltaic Panels on the island. But in the short term this may be accepted as a fair "Return" on "Investment".

I think the Church has cornered a superb market on the island.

[pg]

erolz wrote: city wrote: btw, here people can sell their solar energy that exceeds their personal needs into the grid. It's supported by the government. They made a special law for this.

Yes for me this is what a progressive government that wants to promote private usage of solar energy for ecological reasons, not just cost and dependency reasons, needs to do. Well done that government :)

It is the same in the Republic of Cyprus, through the EAC (Electricity Autority of Cyprus).

There is some subsidy in buying the stuff - meaning in the end one pays about 8,000 CYP I think. The companies selling it has financing arranged through I bank too I think. Once installed the power is not used directly by yourselves but put into the EAC grid - and the EAC makes a commitment to buy the power from you at a price that now is about double of what you pay for electricity.

I think that overall the kit is paid of after about 8-9 years and from there on it is all profit..., and I think the panels are supposed to last 15 years or so.

I have not checked this in detail - with regards to price, etc, but I am not too far off.

[depurple]

Hey I have a few questions:

1: They get there electricity for free anyway? Dont they? They do in Australia!

2: Who is going to pay for it project? The people again?

3: Tell them to light more candles and turn off a few lights! Or maybe add a few extra windows!

4: I remember when the church in Australia asked for new Church bells and it cost a fortune and the people donated the money and the priest bought the smallest bells I have seen and also a new Cadillac to drive around in! Hope it is not another church money making scheme!
cheers
PS just change the globes to energy saving one or use LED lighting or maybe wind power!