With record-high temperatures in Northern Africa and food security worries from Egypt to Morocco, agrivoltaic projects in the region are getting more and more attention. Agrivoltaic projects can produce electricity to pump and desalinize water, opening the doors to agriculture in difficult regions, also in desert areas. According to Fraunhofer's project manager Bingwa, the agrivoltaic projects would not only ease local food security concerns. Looking forward, agrivoltaic projects could indeed use electricity to power cold-storage facilities to shield crops from high temperatures, prolonging the shelf-life of the harvested crops. Agrivoltaic projects in the research phase in Africa combine several technologies, including solar-powered irrigation systems (SPIS).

Source: The North Africa Journal May 31, 2022 05:05 UTC