Around 960,000 diesel-powered water pumps are currently used for irrigation across Egypt, at a cost of about $250 million annually for the diesel. Replacing the pumps with PV systems would save farmers money in fuel and maintenance and help create a cleaner environment, IFC clarified. “Through our partnership with IFC, MSMEDA will deepen its understanding of solar irrigation systems and develop a financial product for farmers to purchase solar irrigation pumps. “Egypt’s start-ups have identified major untapped potential for the use of solar amongst farmers,” IFC’s Country Manager for Egypt, Walid Labadi, said. The IFC is a sister organization of the World Bank and member of the World Bank Group.

Source: Egypt Today July 14, 2020 10:07 UTC