Ancient Egyptian civilization blossomed in the scorching desert thanks to the Nile River, which delivered fresh water and annual dumps of nutrient-rich sediment. Clever engineering moved H2O so efficiently that farmers were able to churn out huge surpluses of staple crops like wheat, which fed the Roman Empire.
Thousands of years later, the African nation’s farmers — like so many others around the world — are grappling with water shortages and ever-fiercer temperatures, which threaten to wilt their crops. So like their ancestors before them, they’re innovating, this time with a burgeoning technique known as agrivoltaics: By covering fields with solar panels, farmers generate clean electricity and shade crops, reducing evaporation and mitigating heat stress.
Two pilot projects in Egypt — from a variety of funders and partnering organizations — are testing how the technology might fare in small farming communities and on a larger scale in the country. “There is no perfect guideline on how to get th... Read more
