The Cyprus Institute’s Linear Fresnel Solar Energy System for Built Environment of the Novel Technologies Laboratory (NTL) building was inaugurated by the Honorable Minister of Finance, Mr. Harris Georgiades, on Monday 11 April 2016. The Minister in his address stressed that research and innovation can and should have a very important role in a new economic model for Cyprus and that the government’s support to The Cyprus Institute is the best such investment for the future. He also expressed full confidence in The Cyprus Institute, committed to continue supporting its novel research activities.

The official inauguration is part of a 3 day workshop which is organised at the CyI premises in Nicosia between Monday the 11th and Wednesday the 13th of April 2016. The ceremony was addressed by the Chairman of the Institute’s Executive Committee, Dr. Andreas Pittas, the President of CyI, Prof. Costas N. Papanicolas, the CCCI president, Mr. Phidias Pilides, and by the project coordinator Mr. Fabio Montagnino (ARCA).

The system was built by utilising financing provided by the ‘Small Scale Thermal District Units for Mediterranean Communities’ (STS-Med) project, a consortium of 14 organisations from 6 different countries including academic institutions, businesses and governmental departments. The system installed in Cyprus is one of the four pilot systems that were built in the Eastern Mediterranean region, with the other situated in Italy, Egypt and Jordan. The 4 demonstrative plants based on Concentrating Solar (CS) power target on serving the energy demand of 20.000 end users coming from 20 Mediterranean local communities for a total power of 400 kW. This project is funded by the European Union and is implemented by Arca Consortium.

The system collects solar energy through several rows of mirrors that continuously track the sun's path and channel the collected heat to a cooling device for the needs of the NTL, which is now classified as a ‘Nearly Zero Energy Building' (NZEB), which is the first of its kind in Cyprus. The mode of integration of the solar system in the existing facilities is also novelty of the CyI.

The Ceremony was honorably attended by the former President of the Republic Dr. George Vassiliou, Ambassadors and representatives of foreign diplomatic missions, party representatives, government officials, Members of CyI’s Board of Trustees and by many distinguished personalities from the academia and the business world.