Cyprus Solar Households Experience Frequent Energy Curtailments

Recent data released by the Electricity Authority of Cyprus show that residential solar systems in Cyprus are facing repeated production curtailments, with some installations being disconnected as many as 17 times within a single month.

Data Highlights Frequent Interruptions

Information covering the period between April 4 and May 4 showed that 20 groups of residential solar installations experienced between 15 and 17 production cutoffs. The interruptions generally occurred every other day and, in some cases, on consecutive days during periods of lower electricity demand. Repeated curtailments highlight the growing imbalance between solar energy production and grid consumption during peak daytime generation hours.

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Maintaining Grid Stability

The EAC’s Distribution System Operator said temporary production curtailments are necessary to maintain the stability and safety of the national electricity grid. Similar practices are also used across European electricity markets with high renewable energy penetration, particularly during periods when electricity generation exceeds demand. Increasing numbers of residential solar systems continue to place additional pressure on grid balancing mechanisms.

Prospect Of A Zero-Export Solution

Homeowners can avoid production cutoffs by switching to a zero-export configuration designed to match solar generation with household electricity consumption. Such systems use smart controllers and equipment, including Zero Export Devices or smart meters, to prevent excess electricity from being exported to the grid. Although the solution can reduce curtailments, the financial benefit remains relatively limited for many households. Estimates cited in the report showed that annual losses linked to production cutoffs amount to roughly €20 for an average residential installation.

Economic Implications And Policy Considerations

Battery storage systems and zero-export technologies could theoretically reduce the frequency of curtailments, although installation and equipment costs continue to limit broader adoption. At the same time, recent legislative discussions surrounding surplus electricity credits have intensified debate over renewable integration, energy storage and long-term grid management policy.

The growing number of residential photovoltaic systems is also increasing pressure for additional investment in grid infrastructure and storage capacity. In the longer term, expanding grid flexibility and improving energy storage solutions are expected to remain central challenges as Cyprus accelerates renewable energy adoption.

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Women Make Up A Majority Of The EU’s Science And Technology Workforce But The Real Gap Is Elsewhere

by News Editor

June 25, 2026

Women now make up the majority of the EU’s science and technology workforce. According to Eurostat, in 2025, more than 81.6 million people aged 15 to 74 were employed in science and technology occupations across the EU. Of those, 52.5% were women, equal to 42.8 million women. The number of women in these occupations rose by 27.9% compared with 2015, an increase of more than 9.3 million over a decade.

On the surface, the numbers resemble progress. However, Eurostat’s category requires context before that figure can be read accurately. The data refers to HRST, or Human Resources in Science and Technology, specifically people employed in science and technology occupations. These are roles where the main tasks require professional or technical knowledge in physical and life sciences, but also in social sciences and humanities. That definition is wider and broader than engineering, ICT, laboratory science, or high-tech research alone.

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Zooming In

The gender picture changes once the data moves from a wider definition of the workforce to the narrower scientist-and-engineer (research and manufacturing) subgroup.

Scientists and engineers represented almost a quarter of all people employed in science and technology in the EU in 2025. Eurostat describes scientists and engineers as often being the innovators at the centre of technology-led development, making them an important subgroup to focus on separately.

Women accounted for only 40.8% of scientists and engineers in 2025, despite making up more than half of the wider category. That share has increased by a mere 0.5 percentage points over the past decade. The absolute number of women working as scientists and engineers rose from 5.3 million in 2015 to 8.2 million in 2025, despite the push from national and international organisations to increase the number of women in the field. Europe has expanded the number of women in science and technology occupations over ten years. However, that expansion has not extended equally into the scientist-and-engineer subgroup, where much of Europe’s research and innovation work is conducted.

In 2025, of the 39.4 million women aged 25 to 64 working in science and technology occupations in the EU, 35.5 million worked in service activities. Only 2.7 million worked in manufacturing. Women accounted for 57.5% of science and technology employment in services, but only 31.3% in manufacturing.

In 2025, the highest shares of women employed in science and technology occupations were recorded in Latvia at 62.4%, followed by Hungary’s Great Plain and North region at 61.1%, Estonia at 60.5%, Poland’s Central macroregion at 60.4%, and Lithuania at 60.3%. No EU country recorded a majority of women among science and technology workers in manufacturing.

Break-down

Eurostat’s figures measure employment in broad science and technology occupations. They do not show job security, pay levels, management roles, promotion rates, research leadership, or whether women are concentrated in junior or senior workplace positions.

The classification of “senior” also requires additional explanation. Eurostat reports that 45.9% of science and technology workers aged 25 to 64 in the EU were classified as “senior” HRST in 2025. In this dataset, “senior” refers to workers aged 45 to 64. It does not mean senior manager, senior researcher, team lead, or decision-maker.

A high female share in the wider Human Resource Science and Technology (HRST) category does not parallel equal representation across scientists, engineers, manufacturing roles, senior posts, pay, research funding, or decision-making. These figures also reflect the occupational mix inside each country or region, not only structural progress across all areas of science and technology.

The Case Of Cyprus

Eurostat data places Cyprus’s overall science and technology employment at 37.2% of the labour force in 2025, slightly above the EU-27 figure of 36.9%, and above Greece at 26.8%, Malta at 33.9%, and Turkey at 18.2%. This figure covers the total share of the labour force employed in science and technology across all genders.

Progress Or Work-in-Progress?

52.5% in the broad category. 40.8% among scientists and engineers. 31.3% in manufacturing. Europe’s gender gap in science and technology hasn’t closed yet, and there is still work to be done to encourage and support more women to enter the field, especially in research and manufacturing.

Let’s not wait another decade for another couple of percentage points of hope.

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