Egypt

Solar energyDespite undergoing radical advances, solar technology penetration is negligible considering that  Egypt receives some of the highest solar radiation in the world and 96% of the country is desert, making it a prime location for a variety of solar energy technologies and applications. Egypt is located within the Sun Belt countries with annual global solar insolation ranging from 1750 to 2680 kWh/m2/year from North to South and annual direct normal solar irradiance ranging from 1970 to 3200 kWh/m2/year from North to South, with relatively steady daily profile and small variations making it very favourable for utilization.Both the Solar Radiation Atlas and the German Aerospace Centre estimate Egypt’s economically viable solar potential in the range of 74 billion MWh/year, or many times Egypt’s current electricity production. The Energy Research Centre at Cairo University’s Faculty of Engineering estimates that 6 MW of solar photovoltaics are currently installed in Egypt. In addition, a 150 MW integrated-solar combined-cycle power plant is under construction in Kureimat, with a solar component of 30 MW.Wind energyThe first phase of the Wind Atlas for Egypt, produced by The New and Renewable Energy Authority (NREA) and the Risø National Laboratory (Denmark), was finalized in March 2003 with the publication of the detailed Wind Atlas for the Gulf of Suez. This atlas includes wind data for 13 sites covering the decade from 1991 to 2001. The second phase of the project, the Wind Atlas for Egypt: Measurements and Modelling 1991–2005, was released in 2006, covering Egypt’s entire land area based on a comprehensive eight-year wind-resource assessment. The purpose of the Wind Atlas was to establish a meteorological basis for assessing Egypt’s wind energy resources in six designated regions: the northwest coast, the northeast coast, the Gulf of Aqaba, the Gulf of Suez, the Red Sea, and the western desert. The majority of the assessed areas exist in state-owned lands, making them ideal for development.According to the Wind Atlas, the western part of the Gulf of Suez is home to some of Egypt’s best wind resources. Here, average yearly wind speeds surpass 7 m/s, and there is potential for some 20,000 MW of wind capacity. The Gulf of Suez is the region where both short- and medium-term plans for Egypt’s wind energy developments are focused.As of 2008/2009, Egypt’s New and Renewable Energy Authority (NREA), the authority affiliated with the Ministry of Energy that manages Egypt’s clean energy portfolio, has installed 425 MW of wind power, including a wind farm at Zafarana.  Zafarana has been operational since 2004 and has a capacity of 360 MW, where wind averages 9 m/s. Egypt has registered Zafarana as a CDM project. Though wind penetration is small at present, Egypt’s experience with wind projects goes back 20 years, with a plant of installed capacity of 405 MW.Various studies indicate that electricity generated from wind resources represents the best opportunity for Egypt’s renewable energy to reach competitive prices with electricity generated from oil and gas.Biomass energyThe biomass resource in Egypt has been estimated at 40 million tons/year, or 3,600 ktoe/year. Small- and large-scale biogas digesters have been proposed for power generation. Approximately 800 small digesters for home use are installed, whilst large-scale digesters are still being implemented. Bagasse and cattle manure have also been mooted as potential biogas feedstocks. The gasification of sewage sludge in waste water is already being used in the 23 MW El-Gabal El-Asfer plant, and agricultural wastes have been identified as having a high potential in the country.Geothermal energyNo electricity generation based on geothermal resources is currently installed; however, thermal use amounts to approximately 1 MW. Several geothermal spas are located across the country, primarily with temperatures in the region of 28-70 ºC.HydropowerIn 2009, renewable energy, mainly hydropower, accounted for 12% of Egypt’s electricity generation. Government policy has consistently emphasized hydropower, but there is a view that most potential hydro resources have been already developed. Egypt’s hydropower potential is about 3664 MW with an estimated energy of 15,300 GWh/annum. There are currently five main hydropower generation locations, all of which located on the River Nile. Almost all the electricity generation comes from the Aswan High Dam and the Aswan Reservoir Dams. The Aswan High Dam power project has a theoretical generating capacity of 2.1 GW, although low water levels often prevent it from operating anywhere near design capacity. An ongoing refurbishment program is expected to extend the operational life of the turbines by about 40 years and increase generating capacity at the dam to 2.4 GW. The remaining hydropower sites are considered very modest when compared to the Aswan sites.