Shemaine Bushnell Kyriakides
If there’s one thing Cyprus has plenty of, it’s sunshine. And according to clean energy expert and futurist Ramez Naam*, that makes the island perfectly placed to thrive in the global shift to clean energy, as long as it invests in the right tech.
Speaking at the Green Agenda Cyprus Summit at the Hilton Hotel in Nicosia, Naam delivered a powerful and hopeful message: the fight against climate change isn’t just about cutting back. It’s about leaning in, especially to the technologies that are already changing the world. And at the top of that list is solar power.
“Clean energy isn’t a resource, it’s a technology...And technology gets cheaper as we scale it up.”
“Clean energy isn’t a resource, it’s a technology,” he told the crowd. “And technology gets cheaper as we scale it up.”
That one sentence set the tone for his entire presentation. Fossil fuels, Naam explained, become more expensive and harder to extract over time. But solar, wind, batteries, and electric vehicles? They get cheaper the more we invest in them.
Just 20 years ago, solar power cost over $100 per watt. Today, it’s less than 10 cents. That’s a staggering drop, and it’s only going to continue as countries pour more money into clean energy. In 2004, the world spent $33 billion on clean energy. Last year, it was over $2 trillion.
Naam called this moment in history a “solar century.” Solar power is now growing faster than any other energy source in the world, and it’s already cheaper than fossil fuel electricity in most places. In some cases, buying a solar panel is even more affordable than buying a basic piece of fencing. From floating solar panels on water to solar car parks and even solar shades for grazing animals (who, he joked, “do the landscaping”), the potential is massive, and Cyprus is in the perfect position to benefit.
A sunny opportunity, with one major hurdle
Naam wasn’t there to lecture Cyprus, far from it. He sees Cyprus as a country with huge untapped potential, thanks to its nearly year-round sunshine.
But there is a challenge. In 2023, Cyprus had to waste 29% of the renewable energy it produced because the grid couldn’t store it. That’s a big problem, but it’s also solvable.
“Eventually, the excess electricity from daytime solar will go into home storage systems,” Naam explained. “Then in the evening, homes will run off that stored power.”
And the good news? Like solar, battery technology is getting cheaper too. As more countries adopt these systems, the cost of storing energy will fall, making it easier and more affordable for everyday people to benefit from clean power, day and night.
This couldn’t come at a more urgent time for Cyprus. The island currently has the highest electricity prices in Europe, putting extra pressure on thousands of households. According to recent data, around 55,000 households in Cyprus live below the poverty line, many of them likely struggling under the weight of high energy bills. Clean, affordable solar energy could offer real relief, not just for the planet, but for people’s pockets.
Cars are changing too
Naam also touched on how electric vehicles (EVs) are transforming the global car market. In China, more than half of all vehicles sold are now electric. And in a sign of how fast things are moving, Chinese automaker BYD recently launched a $10,000 electric car, an ultra-affordable option that could one day be a game-changer for average consumers. While it’s not available in Europe yet, negotiations are underway.
Four big ideas to help us thrive
Naam offered four key pieces of advice to help countries and individuals adapt and succeed in a warming world: 1. Recognize we’re at a tipping point, but act with purpose, not panic. 2. Embrace solar and storage technology as the world’s most scalable clean energy solution. 3. Invest in the future, from electric vehicles to grid upgrades. 4. Support bold new ideas, like carbon capture and even controversial tech like solar geoengineering, which aims to reflect sunlight to cool the planet.
“I invest in what I believe in.”
After the talk, I asked Naam a direct question: You flew halfway across the world to talk about climate change. How do you square that with your own carbon footprint?
He didn’t dodge the question.
“I do a few things,” he said. “Yes, I plant trees, and I promote clean energy. But more than that, I invest. I put real money into solar engineering, even into controversial areas like geoengineering. And I buy carbon credits to offset my emissions.”
For Naam, it’s not about being perfect; it’s about taking real action, putting your money where your mouth is, and constantly moving forward.
And for Cyprus, that might be the real lesson: we don’t need to wait for the world to change. With the sun shining down nearly every day, the tools are already here. Now it’s just a matter of plugging in and making it work for everyone.
*Ramez Naam is a futurist, clean energy expert, and former Microsoft tech leader turned climate-focused venture capitalist. He’s known for making complex ideas about energy and innovation easy to understand, and for championing bold, tech-driven solutions to climate change. Whether he's writing bestselling books or advising governments and startups, Naam believes the future can be bright, if we invest in it.
