Not many people know that the first solar energy station in the world was established in Egypt, where the American engineer Frank Schumann established and operated the station in the Maadi district, south of Cairo, in 1911.
Egypt was chosen as the site for the first solar energy station due to its sunny climate almost all year round.
Just as Egypt was the site of the first solar power station in history, Egypt is back at the forefront again in the same field. Egypt aims, by 2030, to raise the percentage of renewable energy sources’ contribution to electricity generation to 43%.
The locations of solar power stations are distributed according to the strength of the sun’s rays, and the Kom Ombo area in Aswan received the lion’s share, followed by Zaafarana and Hurghada.
The Benban Solar Energy Complex comes as Egypt’s most prominent investment in renewable energy and is included in the list of the largest solar energy complex in the world.