Embracing carbon neutral electricity and transportation sectors in Cyprus

Highlights: • Renewables can realise a carbon free electricity sector for Cyprus by 2050. • In the renewables case, forty percent of electricity production is wasted. • The BAU and the least cost scenarios CO₂ emissions fail to meet EU/Cyprus goals. • RES will need 5600 MWh of battery storage while current EU capacity is 3400 MWh. • A full electric passenger vehicle and bus fleet is possible by 2050. From the energy standpoint Cyprus is unique because the island relies on oil-fired power generation while the national electricity grid is isolated. Yet short driving distances render the country a testbed for a full electric vehicle fleet. Based on EU climate goals, passenger vehicles and buses were considered 100% electric by 2050. Spanning between 2018 and 2050, herein we present the future electricity needs and vehicle fleet size, which currently account for 77% of the island's emissions. In parallel, four distinct scenarios, namely, the Least Cost (LCSc), the Business As Usual (BAU), the Carbon Capture and Storage (CCSc) and the Renewables (RESc) are presented. Weekly hourly profiles of electricity production and consumption were deduced during the winter and summer seasons. Passenger vehicle-to-grid units and desalination plants helped estimate the grid's electrical load. Projections demonstrated that the RESc in 2050 yields the costliest electricity (0.115€/kWh) accompanied by the highest electricity losses (40%). A domestic battery storage of 5,600MWh is required, whereas Europe's current battery capacity is 3,400MWh. In the context of EC's goals, the BAU and LCSc cases fail to meet the 2 °C emissions threshold while the CCSc abides with the preceding target. Concluding, RESc attains full decarbonisation.