Egypt: Giant solar park in the desert jump starts renewables push

Egypt: Giant solar park in the desert jump starts renewables push

Near the southern Egyptian city of Aswan, a swathe of photovoltaic solar panels spreads over an area of desert so large it is clearly visible from space, reports Reuters. They are part of the Benban plant, one of the world's largest solar parks following the completion last month of the second phase of the estimated $2.1 billion project. Designed to anchor a renewable energy sector by attracting foreign and domestic private-sector developers and financial backers, the plant now provides nearly 1.5 GW to Egypt's national grid and has brought down the price of solar energy at a time when the government is phasing out electricity subsidies. In 2013, Egypt was suffering rolling blackouts due to power shortages at aging power [“¦]