CAIRO: A total of 6,900 homes in upper Egypt have been outfitted with solar panels freeing them from reliance on diesel-fueled generators, the Ministry of Electricity said Monday.
Through a $140 million grant from the United Arab Emirates, a number of underdeveloped areas, including Siwa, Luxor, Quena, and Aswan have had solar units installed, a ministry source told Youm7.
Egypt, which for years has suffered from rolling blackouts, has begun to look towards solar energy as a solution for its energy shortage.
The Ministry of Electricity signed 56 memoranda of understanding to build wind- and solar- powered power plants with capacity of 4300 megawatts in August.
Schneider Electricity has proposed establishing a solar plant in Southern Sinai with a capacity of 50 megawatts, Youm7 reported in late August.
“The company is to act as a technical expert and implementer for the project, in cooperation with the Ministry of Electricity; the project will coordinate to raise the efficiency of Egypt’s national grid,” Schneider official said in the company’s meeting with the Prime Minister.