With a global solar radiation of 2,000 to 2,500 kWh/m2, Egypt is one of the sunniest countries on the planet. And power cuts are an inherent part of everyday life for the country's consumers.
The Egyptian Ministry of Agriculture is also regularly forced to struggle with power cuts, with the ensuing consequences for the administration. In order to be better prepared, the Ministry decided to install a 140-kWp system on the roof of the building, complete with integrated battery storage. Thanks to the high level of irradiation, 560 solar modules by Luxor Solar now ensure a reliable power supply. The generated solar power will charge the batteries in order to make sure that the lights can stay on even in the event of power cuts. Any additional electricity generated will be fed into the public electricity network.
The Ministry of Agriculture is thus home to Egypt's largest PV rooftop system on a public building. The opening ceremony was attended by six ministers of the current cabinet. The project is already regarded as a model for the use of solar energy within the Egyptian administration. Other systems of this type are to follow. Egypt aims to use solar energy to bridge the immense supply gap within the next three to five years. The target set by the government in Cairo is that by 2020, 20 per cent of the country's energy demand should be covered by renewable sources.
Since the Egyptian photovoltaic market is often dominated by poor-quality and used modules, Hammer Electric opted for a reliable module manufacturer based in Germany. The polycrystalline Luxor modules used are the best guarantee for high cost-effectiveness. The 60-cell module "made in Europe" with a nominal power of 250 Wp and a comparatively low voltage makes it possible to install more modules per row and thus lay out the inverters in a more economically efficient manner. These polycrystalline cells are leaders in the 6 size. Their advantage: they can be manufactured more economically, and they stand out thanks to their low temperature coefficients.
