Ahmed Zahran and Yumna Madi of Karm Solar (www.karmsolar.com), which won second place in the Semi-Final round in the MIT Enterprise Forum Arab Business Plan Competition, explain how they have created a solar-energy-based water pumping system that is cheaper than those that use diesel, thus reducing the overall price of agriculture in Egypt. “Developing countries spend over 60% of their income on food,” says Yumna, explaining how Karm Solar’s solution works to ensure the sustainability of domestic agriculture on a country-wide level.
The Indian state of Gujarat — a hot bed of solar power development over the past year — will throw a big party on Thursday to celebrate the commissioning of 600 MW of solar energy projects over just one year.
US Marines in Afghanistan are using the sun’s energy to power vital equipment. Troops at a US Marine Command Operation Centre are trialing the Ground Renewable Expeditionary Energy Network System (GREENS) as an alternative to diesel generators. The $500000 system generates 1000W and can run the centre for between six and eight hours. Solar power has provided electricity for the Marines’ phones, laptops, televisions and air conditioning for almost two months. British Forces are also testing a solar generator which will soon be tested at patrol bases in Helmand.
April is proving to be a banner month for alternative energy as two solar arrays formally opened within days of each other last week. The West Tennessee Solar Farm in Haywood County is the largest in the state with 21000 …
Virginia reports on Australia’s top solar postcodes, a solar powered reactor for creating hydrogen currently undergoing testing, AGL dumps on small-scale solar energy (again) and the development of solar cells thinner than spider silk. For further details of these stories and more, visit www.energymatters.com.au
It took Apple to make the mouse ubiquitous. The warning—first movers don’t always end up dominating a particular field—applies to another hot technology: solar power, Liam Denning reports on Markets Hub.
One of the world’s oldest cities is set to use one of the most advanced methods to receive electricity. About 20000 residents of the West Bank city of Jericho will be supplied with solar-powered electricity after the construction of a plant is completed. Jericho experiences year-round sunlight which, according to some, makes it an ideal location for the Japanese-funded project. Also, the project aims to make Palestinians in Jericho self-sufficient with electricity, as they currently depend on Israel’s national grid for supply. “The solar plant is going to generate 350 kilowatts per hour every day, this will be used to operate the main building in the industrial city, which is one thousand square meters,” plant engineer Alla Melhem said. “Also there will be a water treatment plant in Jericho, which will be operated by the solar plant. I can get electricity from the solar plant that operates the water treatment plant at about 150 kilowatts per hour each day,” he said. The Japanese government also plans to create a $6.7 million agro-industrial park, which will allow the Palestinian territories to produce crops such as oranges and tomatoes to be sold in neighboring Jordan. In recent years, the Palestinian territories have experienced serious water and electricity shortages, and Jericho Mayor Hasan Saleh is optimistic about the plant and its benefits. By Noora Faraj Al Arabiya with Agencies
Upcoming Solar Energy Trainings in Frankfort, Kentucky. The Kentucky Solar Partnership and Appalachia – Science in the Public Interest, with the support of the Mountain Association for Community Economic Development …
