Egypt eyes solar power exports, costs too high now

CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt, which plans to start its first solar power unit in 2010, said on Tuesday it wanted to expand solar power production for export but that costs of the technology would need to fall first to make it feasible.

The North African country, a gas and oil producer, aims to generate 20 percent of its energy from renewable sources by 2020. It already has installed wind capacity of 430 megawatts and is adding 120 megawatts by mid 2010.

Wind farms are expected to meet 12 percent of Egypt's power needs by 2020 but solar power projects have lagged.

"Solar energy is four times as expensive as energy generated from combined cycles so when this figure starts going down to three or two times as much, this is when we will see developing countries go heavily into the business," Electricity and Energy Minister Hassan Younes told Reuters.

Labels: Solar News, Solar power, Solar Projects

posted by Ertai at 2:48 PM