4. Renewable Energy

Egypt and the whole MENA region have tremendous potential for the use of renewable energy technologies especially wind and solar power generation. Egypt's energy market is expected to grow by 7-8% annually until 2010. Almost all the solar, wind and biomass technologies and applications have been demonstrated and field-tested in Egypt.
 

4.1. Wind energy

Wind energy is the most developed type of renewable energy resources in Egypt, where the phase of demonstration and pilot projects has already been surpassed. The wind atlas for the Gulf of Suez finds that the Red Sea provides especially favorable conditions for wind parks, with an average wind speed of 10 m/s. The power generation potential has been estimated at around 3,000 MW. Another promising area is the desert of Oweinat, were wind speed reaches 7 m/s.
Encouraged by this obvious potential, the first wind farm with a capacity of 400 KW was established in Ras Ghareb on the Red Sea coast in 1988. A second wind farm was established in Hurghada in 1992. It was first connected to the local distribution network of the city and later to the national grid. In 2001, another farm was built at Zafarana in a German, Danish and Egyptian joint venture. The second and third extension phases with a total of 47 MW were awarded to joint bidders Vestas Deutschland GmbH, ABB New Ventures and Kolay Engineering. Vestas has thereafter completed the fourth extension phase financed by a € 75 million loan from Germany's KfW Kreditinstitut für Wiederaufbau. Plans project the generation of 850 MW from the farm by 2010.
Further extensions of Egypt's wind farms are constantly being negotiated. Although the delivery of wind turbines is still controlled by a handful of multinational companies, small and medium enterprises are needed for the construction of towers, the establishment of control systems and the operation and maintenance of wind energy plants.
 

4.2. Solar energy

The solar atlas, which NREA has developed for Egypt, demonstrates that annual global radiation varies between 1900-2600 kWh/rn²a, which is an extra-ordinarily high level. Solar systems have been deployed in Egypt for domestic water heating, industrial process heat applications and agricultural drying. Six local manufacturers are active in components and systems production and installation. As to solar thermal electricity generation, the NREA initiated a program for Bulk Renewable Energy Electricity Production (BREEP) in 1994. The first solar thermal electricity plant in Korimat, financed by the World Bank's Environmental Facility Operational Program, is expected to generate 150 megawatts by 2008. The government promotes investments of this type by providing free land for solar thermal plants.
Investment opportunities, however, lie not only in the field of large scale power generation plants but also in locally limited applications. Photovoltaic systems, for example, can be used to supply isolated rural areas with electricity for light and running water or provide air-conditioning in remote resort towns. The higher costs of these innovative technologies will be compensated by savings in network construction. Another interesting application is the supply of security fences or the lights in a sea port with solar generated power, which protects these installations from power outages.
 

4.3. Biomass energy

Several R&D activities have been carried out mainly in the areas of biogas production, stoves improvement and small scale grassfires. Small-scale biogas plants with a digester volume ranging from 5 to 50 m3 have been tested. NREA is presently utilizing its facilities for further studies and testing activities. Consultancy by companies experienced in biomass applications and the provision of testing and measurement equipment are highly welcomed.
 

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