Energy poverty in Cyprus and the use of geographic information systems

Since the economic crisis of 2008, many energy-related issues have come to the forefront of public debate. One of them is Energy Poverty (EP), which could be described as the inability of a household to maintain adequate levels of essential energy services in the home. In practical terms, this means that energy poor households are those that cannot afford energy amenities that are deemed to be necessary according to modern society (e.g. heating and cooling). In order to investigate the various concerns of EP, several tools may be employed. One of them is the use of Geographical Information Systems (GIS). This tool is useful since it could trace demographic information to identify society groups that are at risk of energy poverty; also it could be used to locate buildings with constructional characteristics which display energy inefficiency. GIS has been previously used in EP research to predict areas most vulnerable to fuel poverty; it could also be employed in spatial-economic analyses, to provide utilisation of renewable energy solutions that are most cost-effective according to regional characteristics, in order to mitigate energy poverty with clean energy. The aim of this paper is to provide a basis for the incorporation of GIS into the decision-making process, so that policy makers are able to effectively alleviate EP, while also promoting clean energy. This paper provides a brief review of the various types of GIS applications that can be used to study EP in Cyprus. The potential of the various forms of renewable energy technologies that could be adopted to supplement energy-poor households is also examined. Consequently, policies targeting at the mitigation of EP in Cyprus could be adjusted accordingly, based on regional characteristics derived from GIS studies, in order to provide energy vulnerable inhabitants with the most effective relieving schemes.

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