A team of researchers and engineers has installed a 6 kW agrivoltaic pilot project in South Sinai, Egypt
The project combines solar energy, agriculture, and water management for desert environments
The team is already expanding the idea with a larger 100 kW agrivoltaic installation in the country
A new renewable energy project is taking shape in Egypt, combining solar power generation with food production in the desert environment. The pilot agrivoltaic project, with a 6 kW installed capacity, was recently completed in the country’s South Sinai region.
The project is being developed as both a research platform and a scalable model for desert regeneration in water-scarce regions, according to the project partners.
It is led by 3E in collaboration with its partners ORG, Engazaat, Habiba Community, and the Alexandria University Center of Excellence for Water.
The agrivoltaic system places solar panels above agricultural land, where the shading effect can help reduce water evaporation and heat stress while simultaneously generating electricity. It combines solar energy, agriculture, and water management in arid environments, according to the project partners.
Through the South Sinai pilot, the aim is to demonstrate how decentralized solar-powered agriculture can improve food security and climate resilience in remote desert communities.
According to the team, the initiative focuses on agrivoltaic system validation, climate mitigation, agricultural adaptation, community resilience, and environmental performance monitoring as part of a broader water-energy-food nexus approach.
3E, which provided engineering and technical design for the project, plans to use its SynaptiQ renewable asset analytics platform for long-term monitoring of agricultural, environmental, and energy performance.
“What makes the project particularly unique is its geopolitical and environmental context. By combining renewable energy generation with agriculture and water optimization, the project aims to evaluate practical approaches for improving land productivity and resource efficiency in regions affected by water scarcity and rising temperatures,” share the partners.
Following the pilot phase, the team is expanding the concept with a 100 kW agrivoltaic installation under development in Al Moghra, Marsa Matrouh, as part of efforts to scale the model across Egypt’s arid regions.
Earlier this year, NextGen Nano said it was launching a pilot agrivoltaics demonstration project in West Africa for its PolyPower solar films (see NextGen Nano’s $300 Million Global Agrivoltaics Plan).