While rising temperatures are affecting many aspects of people’s lives, in Egypt, climate change is affecting the Nile River, a source of water supply that 10 countries rely on for their crops and power. As a result, some Egyptian farmers have turned to solar energy.
In Egypt’s delta, UN-funded solar panels are helping farmers irrigate their crops. Rising fuel costs are encouraging some farmers to switch to renewable energy such as solar power, but that is sometimes out of reach.
“Many places here cannot reach the electricity grid, so farmers depend on diesel fuel which is very difficult [to obtain], because it costs a lot of money. We are talking about a large amount of fuel, not just a few liters, because the soil requires a large amount of water especially in the summer, which in turn requires a lot of fuel. In addition, (the engine) requires new oil every 100 hours of operation, not to mention maintenance costs. to solar energy, in order to reduce the total cost,” explained Jomaa Ibrahim, a solar energy operator.
“Many farmers want to install solar panels, but because of the high cost, they can’t,” he added.
Solar energy is one of the most successful and effective solutions to reduce fuel consumption, which leads to an increase in CO2 emissions.
“We have 192 panels for four solar stations, 48 panels for each. 192 panels are used to irrigate 243 acres of land” explained Amr al-Daqaq, head of the irrigation sector in Kaf el-Dawar.
In Egypt’s Vision 2030, the government intends to increase the electricity supply generated from renewable sources to 42% by 2035.
This vision is set to help Egypt understand the many issues of climate change, especially the disappearance of the Nile River.
Climate change, pollution and human exploitation are putting existential pressure on the world’s second longest river, on which half a billion people depend for survival.
Today, the Nile is no longer the mythical undisturbed river.
Along its 6,500 kilometer (4,000 mile) length, alarm bells are ringing as the river slowly dries up.
“The Nile is the most important thing for us,” said Jomaa, who at 17 is the latest generation of his family to work on the rich river banks in Alty in Gezira state.
“We certainly don’t want anything to change,” he said.
In half a century, the flow has decreased from 3,000 cubic meters (10,600 cubic meters) per second to 2,830 cubic meters.
Yet it could be much, much worse. With several droughts in east Africa, flows could drop by 70 percent, according to the UN’s most dire predictions.
Every year for the past six decades, the Mediterranean Sea has eaten away between 35 and 75 meters (38-82 yards) of the Nile Delta. If sea levels rise even a meter, a third of this fertile area could disappear, the United Nations fears, forcing nine million people from their homes.
What was once a breadbasket has become the third most vulnerable place on the planet to climate change.
Lake Victoria, the largest source of water in the Nile after rainfall, can also dry up due to drought, evaporation and slow tilts on the Earth’s axis.
All but three percent of Egypt’s 104 million people live along the river in just eight percent of the country’s territory. It’s a similar story in neighboring Sudan, with half of its 45 million people living along its banks, and the Nile supplying two-thirds of its water.
By 2050, the population of both countries will double, and it will be two or three degrees warmer.
The UN climate expert group, IPCC, said the impact on the Nile would be catastrophic. They predict that it will lose 70 percent of its flow at the end of the century, and the water supply available to each person along it plummeting to a third of what they have now.
Floods and other violent storms will hit East Africa because the warm climate is only 15 to 25 percent of the water lost, the IPCC has warned.
With such a dire scenario, the government is trying to arrest the flow.
COP27 which will open on November 6 in the country, should be an opportunity to discuss lasting solutions with other world leaders.
How does solar farming help the environment?
As a renewable power source, solar energy plays an important role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and mitigating climate change, which is important for protecting humans, wildlife, and ecosystems. On the same subject : Computers help researchers find materials to turn solar power into hydrogen. Solar energy can also improve air quality and reduce water use from energy production.
What are 3 negatives about solar energy? Lack of solar energy
- Cost. The initial cost of purchasing a solar system is quite high. …
- Weather-dependent. Although solar energy can still be collected during cloudy and rainy days, the efficiency of the solar system decreases. …
- Solar Energy Storage is Expensive. …
- Uses Lots of Space. …
- Associated with Pollution.
What environmental issue is associated with solar farms?
The potential environmental impacts associated with solar energy—land use and habitat loss, water use, and the use of hazardous materials in manufacturing—can vary greatly depending on the technology, which includes two broad categories: photovoltaic (PV) solar cells or concentrating solar thermal plants (CSP). On the same subject : Clenera’s Wapello solar project reaches commercial operation.
How do solar farms affect the environment?
The clearing and use of large tracts of land for solar energy facilities can adversely affect native vegetation and wildlife in a number of ways, including habitat loss; interference with rainfall and drainage; or direct contact causing injury or death.
What is Egypt’s main source of energy?
Egypt has been known to be particularly dependent, in all energy-related activities, on three main sources: oil, natural gas and hydropower produced by the large dam project over the Nile: High Dam, Aswan I & Aswan II.
Where does Egypt get their gas? Gas Production In addition, Egypt is capitalizing on its strategic location, well-developed energy infrastructure, and found large gas reserves in the Middle East, including the Zohr field, to consolidate its position as a regional energy hub.
Does Egypt have its own oil?
Oil reserves in Egypt Egypt has proven reserves equal to 13.7 times its annual consumption. This means that, without Net Export, there will be about 14 years of oil left (at current consumption levels and excluding unproven reserves).
Does Egypt have any oil?
According to the Oil & Gas Journal (OGJ), Egypt has proven oil reserves of 3.3 billion barrels as of January 2021. Egypt has three main crude oil blends. The Suez and Belayim blends come from offshore paddy fields in the Gulf of Suez and are refined domestically, with only a small amount exported.
Is Egypt self sufficient in oil?
Egypt’s Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Tarek El Molla, said that Egypt will achieve self-sufficiency in oil products by 2023, benefiting from new development projects in the oil sector.
Is it Egypt produce oil?
Crude Oil Production in Egypt averaged 690.56 BBL/D/1K from 1994 to 2022, reaching a high of 930 BBL/D/1K in November 1996 and a record low of 552 BBL/D/1K in August 2021.
What are the sources of renewable energy in Egypt?
The installed capacity of RE in the previous years and in the coming years the main source of RE comes from hydropower and the rest comes from solar and wind power. In general, Egypt enjoys the presence of many RE sources such as solar, wind, biomass and hydropower, see Fig.
How much of Egypts energy is renewable?
Doaa A. Egypt’s power generated from renewable resources represents 6,128 MW, constituting 20 percent of the country’s maximum total power load, Finance Minister Mohamed Maait said Tuesday.
What is the main source of energy in Egypt?
The majority of Egypt’s electricity supply is generated from thermal and hydroelectric stations. The four hydroelectric power stations currently operating in Egypt are the Aswan Low Dam, the Esna Dam, the Aswan High Dam, and the Naga Hamady Barrages.
Where does Egypt get its oil from?
Much of Egypt’s crude oil comes from the Morgan, Ramadan, and Juli fields (both onshore and offshore) in the Gulf of Suez, which are operated by the Gulf of Suez Petroleum Company (commonly known as Gupco), and from AbÅ« Rudays. Sinai region in the Gulf of Suez.
Does Egypt import oil?
Egypt imports Crude Oil mainly from: Saudi Arabia ($1.63B), Kuwait ($1.5B), Iraq ($291M), and United Arab Emirates ($35).
Does Egypt have natural oil?
Exploration and Production According to the Oil & Gas Journal (OGJ), Egypt has proven oil reserves of 3.3 billion barrels as of January 2021. Egypt has three main crude oil blends.
Can solar panels help plants grow?
Agrivoltaic farming is the practice of growing crops under solar panels. Scientific studies show that some plants thrive when planted this way. Doubling land use in this way can help shelter the world’s inhabitants while also providing sustainable energy.
Can solar panels enlarge the growing space? Solar panels allow you to generate free electricity, and you can use that electricity to run a solar powered tent or grow room.
How many solar panels do I need to run a grow light?
However, as a general rule, you need 200 to 300 watts of solar panels for every 1 kWh of energy consumed per day by your grow lights. For example, if your grow lights use 2 kWh of energy each day, you will need 400 to 600 watts of solar energy to offset that energy consumption.
How many solar panels do I need to run a 1000 watt light?
How many solar panels do I need for 1000 Watts? Most 1000 watt solar panel systems consist of 5 solar panels, each 200 watts, or 10 solar panels, each 100 watts. Simple math will tell you that adding together the wattage of panels in each system will reach 1000 watts, or 1 kilowatt.
Can you run grow lights off solar panels?
More and more growers choose solar energy for grow lights. This option, which involves using solar panels to draw energy into batteries for storage and then convert it to AC power using a converter, has several advantages.
Will a 100-watt solar panel run a 100-watt light bulb?
A 100-watt solar panel can run your lighting fixtures, including LED light bulbs, tube lights, and other lights. Suppose it runs for at least six hours. In that case, it can generate enough electricity to run a ceiling fan or even several smaller or pedestal fans.
Do solar panels work like photosynthesis?
» Plants can store energy made from the sun; solar panels can not store energy. » Plants release or release oxygen as part of photosynthesis; Solar panels do not emit or emit waste when they convert energy from the sun into electricity.
Are solar panels artificial photosynthesis?
The concept of artificial photosynthesis is similar to that of the solar panels you can see on top of the roof or arrayed across the field. However, photovoltaic cells found in solar panels are designed to harness solar energy and convert it into electricity for direct application.
Are plants and solar panels similar?
Comparing plants and photovoltaic systems is a challenge. Although both processes harvest energy from sunlight, they use that energy in different ways. Plants convert the sun’s energy into chemical energy, while solar cells produce electricity.
How efficient are solar panels compared to photosynthesis?
Photosynthesis is less efficient than solar panels. According to the Wikipedia page on photosynthetic efficiency, a typical plant has a radiant energy to chemical energy conversion efficiency of between 0.1% and 2%. Most commercially available solar panels have more than 10 times this efficiency.
Why do farmers use solar panels?
Research shows that growing crops under a photovoltaic display can actually produce a different set of agricultural and environmental benefits. Thanks to the shade provided by the panels, for example, the soil can hold more water, meaning less irrigation is needed.
Why do fields have solar panels?
Placing abundant vegetation under the panels causes an increase in soil shade and humidity, which, in turn, causes the photovoltaic cells to be cooler and produce higher energy. A recent study found that panels with vegetation under them produced 10 percent more energy than those that have been placed on gravel.
What are the benefits of solar farms?
Solar Farms do not require fossil fuels or human labor to produce electricity. The Solar Farm Project will help reduce your carbon footprint by using solar energy throughout the year. Additionally, Solar Farms provides clean power to homes, businesses, and utilities.
Why farmers need solar panels?
The module can provide farmers with the ability to grow shade-tolerant crops and diversify crop options, while also extending the growing season and reducing water needs. One study found that shading from solar modules produced lettuce with the same or greater crop weight than lettuce grown in full sun.
Does Egypt have solar panels?
In 2016 Egypt set a target to generate 20% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2020, with most of the new capacity coming from solar and wind. But in the 12 months to March 2021 renewables including hydro accounted for only 12%, with solar energy contributing less than 3% of Egypt’s electricity.
Are there solar panels in Egypt? As of Nov 2022, the average cost of solar panels in Egypt is $2.54 per watt so a typical 6000 watt (6 kW) solar system is $10,653 after claiming the 30% federal solar tax credit currently available.
What country has the most solar panels?
By 2021, China has the world’s largest solar power capacity of 306,973 megawatts (MW), which accounts for about 4.8%-6% of the country’s total energy consumption. It was followed by the United States with 95,209 MW and Japan with 74,191 MW.
Where in the world is best for solar panels?
Welcome to the Atacama Desert in Chile: the highest solar point on Earth, with an annual solar production of more than 9,000 kWh from an average residential solar panel system (5kW). Atacama is a plateau on the western side of the Andes mountains and includes a strip of land about 1,000 kilometers (600 miles) long.
Who has the most solar panels in the world?
| Ranked | Country | Capacity (MW) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | CHINESE | 254,355 |
| 2 | United States | 75,572 |
| 3 | JAPANESE | 67,000 |
| 4 | Germany | 53,783 |
How many solar projects are there in Egypt?
This includes more than 32 solar plants that operate in photovoltaic cells with a capacity of approximately 1,465 mW. It is the largest solar park in Africa and the 4th largest in the world. It is used to generate clean power for more than 1,000,000 homes in Egypt.
What is the main energy source in Egypt?
The majority of Egypt’s electricity supply is generated from thermal and hydroelectric stations. The four hydroelectric power stations currently operating in Egypt are the Aswan Low Dam, the Esna Dam, the Aswan High Dam, and the Naga Hamady Barrages.
What is the biggest solar plant in Africa?
The 580MW Noor Ouarzazate Solar Complex, located 10km from Ouarzazate, Morocco, is the largest CSP plant on the continent.
How much solar energy does Egypt use?
The Egyptian Solar Atlas states that Egypt is considered a âsunbeltâ country with 2,000 to 3,000 kWh/m2/year of direct solar radiation.
How does Egypt get electricity?
The majority of Egypt’s electricity supply is generated from thermal and hydroelectric stations. The four hydroelectric power stations currently operating in Egypt are the Aswan Low Dam, the Esna Dam, the Aswan High Dam, and the Naga Hamady Barrages.
When did Egypt get electricity?
Electricity was introduced in Egypt in 1893. Generation and distribution was privately owned and operated for 70 years, until nationalization took place in 1962.
Which fuels are used for generating electricity in Egypt?
Egypt produces almost all of its electricity from fossil gas and oil (90% in 2020). Electricity production is increasing rapidly, driven entirely by increased fossil gas generation. Renewables make up 10% of the mix in 2020, with 3% from wind and solar.
Does Egypt import electricity?
| ELECTRICITY CONSUMPTION | 159,745,540 | |
|---|---|---|
| Non-Hydroelectric Renewables | 2,228,000 | 1% |
| geothermal | 0 | 0.00% |
| wind | 2,060,000 | 1.12% |
| Solar, tidal, wave, fuel cell | 168,000 | 0.09% |