Can I install solar panels in Cyprus?
Yes — but the support regime changed fundamentally on 1 January 2026. Net metering and net billing ended 31 December 2025. From 1 January 2026 a new market-based self-consumption framework (designed by CERA) applies: choose a bilateral agreement with a retailer, join an aggregator that sells surplus to the market, or don't export at all. The rooftop PV size limit (legacy net metering) was up to 10.4 kW for three-phase and 4.16 kW for single-phase supply. Contracts signed by end-2025 keep their terms. In short: yes, but with new surplus-sale rules.
📋 The rules
- Net metering/billing ended 31 Dec 2025
- From 1 Jan 2026: new self-consumption regime
- Rooftop limit 4.16 kW (single) / 10.4 kW (three-phase)
- Surplus: retailer/aggregator or no export
- Existing contracts keep their terms
🔓 Exceptions
- Net-metering contracts to 2025: run 15 years (residential)
- New-build homes: no grant (RES mandatory since 2017)
- Separate battery-storage scheme (amounts unconfirmed)
⚠️ Penalties & fines
Hard numbers: rooftop limits 4.16 kW (single-phase) / 10.4 kW (three-phase); 8 MW per-meter ceiling; old 2024–25 grants (closed): €375/kW (cap €1,500) general to €1,250/kW (cap €6,250) for vulnerable households, plus a €750 bonus for PV + roof insulation together. No specific fine for unpermitted PV was verified. Beware a myth: "net metering still gives a free 1:1 credit for everything you export" is false — for any new system from 1 Jan 2026 the 1:1 retail-rate credit no longer exists; you now negotiate a price with a retailer/aggregator or forgo export. Tip: the building needs a building permit.
📎 Official sources
- pv-magazine · new self-consumption regime →
- resecfund.org.cy · RES schemes →
- CERA (energy regulator) →
❓ Frequently asked
Can I still install solar panels?
Yes, you can install solar panels, but the support regime has changed. Net metering and net billing ended on 31 December 2025, and from 1 January 2026 a new market-based self-consumption regime designed by CERA applies.
What replaced net metering?
From 2026, as a self-consumer you choose between a bilateral agreement with a retailer, joining an aggregator that sells your surplus to the market, or not exporting any surplus. The old 1:1 credit no longer applies to new systems.
What's the power limit for a home?
Under the old net-metering rules, the rooftop PV limit was up to 10.4 kW for three-phase supply and 4.16 kW for single-phase. The self-consumption/net-billing category went up to 8 MW per electricity meter.
Is there still a grant?
The old 2024–25 dwelling grants closed to applications at the end of 2025. They gave from €375 per kW with a €1,500 cap to €1,250 per kW for vulnerable households. New-build homes aren't eligible, as RES has been mandatory since 2017.
What about existing contracts?
Systems with a signed net-metering or net-billing contract by end-2025 keep their terms. Residential net-metering contracts run 15 years. Those expiring after 1 January 2026, or unsigned in time, transition into the new regime.
🔎 Common searches
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