In the deserts near Aswan, Egypt the Benban Solar Park stands as one of the world’s largest renewable-energy experiments — a massive solar ecosystem that behaves less like a single power station and more like a telecommunications network. With a total installed capacity of 1.65 gigawatts (GW) and annual generation of about 3.8 terawatt-hours, Benban is big enough to change how Egypt powers its homes, industries, and future.

The idea for Benban began taking shape around 2014, when Egypt launched an ambitious plan to transform its energy mix through a national Feed-in Tariff (FiT) program. Construction accelerated between 2016 and 2018, with 41 separate solar plants being developed simultaneously by dozens of companies. The park began coming online in phases starting in 2018, and full commercial operation was achieved in 2019, marking a turning point in Egypt’s renewable-energy landscape.

Benban isn’t a single solar plant at all, but a collection of 41 facilities, each developed by different companies but connected through shared infrastructure. This structure is what makes Benban unique: dozens of developers working like nodes in a vast energy network, each feeding electricity into shared substations and Egypt’s national grid. In telecom terms, each company operates its own “tower,” but the backbone system is shared, coordinated, and standardized so the entire network functions seamlessly.

“The first time I came here, there was nothing but sand,” recalls Mostafa Abdelfatah, the project manager at Benban. “But the sunshine immediately struck me as a great opportunity to produce clean energy. Benban is now one of the largest solar parks in the world, with millions of photovoltaic panels, providing electricity to more than one million homes,” he said.

A wide range of companies helped create the Benban complex, from global renewable-energy giants to regional and local developers. Major players include Scatec, ACWA Power, EDF Renewables, Infinity Power, Hassan Allam, and ElSewedy Electric. These developers financed, built, and now operate their respective slices of Benban under Egypt’s FiT framework and long-term power purchase agreements with the national electricity utility. The FiT scheme originally offered rates of 14.34 US cents per kilowatt-hour, later adjusted to around 8.4 cents, reflecting declining solar costs and competitive tenders.

For investors in solar energy, these long-term, government-backed contracts created a rare combination in an emerging market: stable returns, predictable cash flow, and strong multilateral support from development banks. For Egypt, it meant unlocking billions in renewable-energy investment without burdening the state with upfront capital costs.

The benefits extend far beyond balance sheets. Benban provides enough clean electricity to power over one million Egyptian homes. Individual plants generate enough energy for tens of thousands of households, creating a cumulative national impact. For everyday Egyptians — particularly lower-income families vulnerable to grid instability, rising diesel costs, or seasonal electricity cuts — Benban represents a major step toward more reliable, stable, and affordable power.

The structure of Benban offers several strategic advantages. Shared infrastructure reduces construction costs and environmental footprints. If one plant requires maintenance, dozens of others continue operating, ensuring steady output. Standardized engineering requirements mean that all plants align to the same grid specifications and safety protocols, reducing risks of outages or instability. It is the same logic used in telecommunications: many operators, one harmonized network.

Consider Banban a model and a training hub

Benban has also become a critical training ground for Egypt’s next generation of solar engineers, technicians, and energy managers. Thousands of Egyptians were employed in construction and operations, and many now work across the Middle East and Africa on new solar ventures, exporting Egypt’s clean-energy expertise.

Perhaps through Benban the old Desertec idea of uniting all of Africa using solar energy, can be re-ignited.

On a national scale, Benban reduces Egypt’s dependence on imported fossil fuels and frees up natural gas for industrial use or export. Solar power provides price stability, helping insulate poorer households from global fuel market volatility. Many Egyptian homes still burn polluting bitumen to cook their food. It also advances national climate targets by avoiding millions of tons of carbon emissions over its lifetime.

How investors can get involved in Egypt’s solar future?

Even though Benban is complete, Egypt’s solar opportunity is not. Investors can participate through:

• New utility-scale tenders — Egypt continues to commission large solar plants, especially around Aswan, Kom Ombo, and the Red Sea.
• IPP (Independent Power Producer) models — Private developers can propose and build solar facilities with long-term power purchase agreements.
• Distributed solar — Schools, factories, farms, and commercial buildings in Egypt are increasingly adopting rooftop solar, often with private financing.
• Green bonds and renewable-energy funds — Egyptian and regional banks issue climate-oriented financial instruments linked to solar expansion.
• Partnerships with local companies — Firms like Infinity, ElSewedy Electric, and Hassan Allam frequently collaborate with foreign investors and technology partners.

For international investors, Egypt offers stable demand, abundant sunlight, a government keen on energy diversification, and a proven track record of delivering large-scale solar projects. For everyday Egyptians, each new solar facility strengthens the grid and makes energy access fairer and more resilient. Consider investments in Sinai that could benefit Gaza as it’s being rebuilt?

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Nubian architecture, developed along the Nile River, showcases a harmonious blend of ingenuity, environmental adaptation, and community focus. Rooted in the challenges of a hot and arid climate, this architectural tradition offers timeless principles that remain highly relevant as architects strive to create sustainable, eco-friendly housing and communities today.

The Nubians are an indigenous African ethnic group native to the region along the Nile River, primarily in what is now southern Egypt and northern Sudan. They are one of the oldest civilizations in the world, with a history that dates back thousands of years. They believe in monotheism but some have converted to Christianity over the years.

The foundation of Nubian architecture lies in its use of locally sourced, natural materials. Sun-dried mud bricks, made from Nile silt mixed with clay and straw, provided excellent insulation, regulating indoor temperatures. REadily available palm tree wood and reeds can be used for roofing and reinforcement, while mud or lime-based plaster finished walls, offering durability and a natural aesthetic.

Related: archeologists find pregnant Nubian woman with late-stage fetus stuck in her womb

A hallmark of Nubian construction is the Nubian vault, a technique for creating arched roofs without the need for timber or modern scaffolding. This gravity-based, pressure-stabilized structure was not only resource-efficient but also incredibly durable.

Rounded and domed forms further optimized buildings for thermal comfort, reducing heat absorption and ensuring even cooling. See Hassan Fathy.

Design Principles and Environmental Adaptation

Nubian builders mastered passive cooling techniques long before modern technology. Thick walls and small, strategically placed windows insulated interiors from extreme heat, while buildings were oriented to harness natural ventilation. This design minimized reliance on artificial cooling, making it inherently energy-efficient.

The Nubians also prioritized community-centric layouts. And this is why modern architects like Hassan Fathy thought that this ancient building tradition could solve many problems in Egypt. Homes were arranged around shared courtyards, fostering social interaction and communal living. Resources like water wells and shaded open spaces were shared, reinforcing a sense of collective responsibility and resilience.

Integration with nature was a cornerstone of Nubian architecture. Structures were often built on elevated ground to mitigate flooding, and materials were biodegradable, leaving minimal environmental impact. This synergy with the environment ensured sustainability across generations.

Buildings were often adorned with symbolic patterns and decorations, painted using natural pigments. These artistic touches reflected the community’s cultural identity and spiritual values.

Today there isn’t such a thing as a Nubian territory but you can visit Nubian people in Egypt and Sudan, living in their villages, preserved in time. Want to find a colorful Nubian village to explore? Check out the travel vlog of Kevin and Miranda and get going.

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At last, Dayma is offering the kind of eco-tour we’ve long dreamed of. The same people who showed students what scorpions and camels can teach us about sustainable design have now developed two new, affordable tours that put nature at the heart of the Egyptian experience.

Since ecotourism is the latest buzz word, a lot of companies throughout Egypt profess to offer a sustainable holiday. And to some extent, many of them do.

There are beautiful getaways built from natural materials in the traditional manner, and other off grid travel options – in Sinai, for example, where life is by nature still sustainable since civilization hasn’t completely suffocated the region.

But we haven’t yet seen, until now, a tour offered by people who genuinely know and understand nature – one that offers more than a cursory glance at the birds, the bees, and the country’s numerous natural wonders.

Come 2014, Dayma will be offering two new immersive tours.

One is a four day trip to Sinai’s St. Katherine, a destination people usually visit in order to say they have climbed the highest point of Egypt. But there is so much more to see in and understand about the area’s desert, mountains and oases, a message Dayma has solicited the help and wisdom of local Bedouin people to convey.

(Related post: Bedouin Bus Offers a Friendly Way to Travel Sinai)

In addition to demonstrating how it is possible for the local people to survive among what appears to be a barren, unforgiving landscape, the local people will teach visitors about the myriad medicinal plants that occur naturally – the mainstay of an enduring, self-sufficient culture.

They’ll even have a chance to tinker with their own natural remedies, under careful supervision of course.

Dayma is also offering a four day trip to Nubia and Lake Nasser in Aswan, an entirely different environment that boasts lush vegetation and great biodiversity, where the local Nubian people have developed a rich and storied tradition reflecting their unique circumstances.

This tour involves an in depth exploration of Nubian culture, history, song and food. The first day ends with a group meal prepared by group leaders and participants.

On the last two days of this trip, Dayma’s experienced leaders will teach visitors about Lake Nasser’s unique freshwater ecosystem, along with the birds, crocodiles and aquatic creates who make it home.

No doubt visitors will also catch a glimpse of what ails these two vastly different ecosystems. Climate change, poaching, pollution and general neglect have had a serious impact on all of Egypt’s natural systems, as is the case of just about everywhere on the planet.

But through Dayma, both local Egyptians and foreigners have an opportunity to experience nature as it should be. Without barriers and without walls, in order to better understand what is at stake if we continue to act as though human beings are something apart from the land, the rivers, and the sea.

Both trips are just 2,800 EGP or $400, which is very reasonable for people who want a genuine eco tour. Contact Dayma’s Noor Noor for the details.

The post Escape Cairo’s Madness with Dayma’s Newest Eco Journeys appeared first on Green Prophet.

Long before the recent string of North African riots – in Tunisia and most recently Egypt – the Nubian community south of Aswan on the River Nile have resisted projects they say threaten a way of life depicted in this Gharb Soheil art show.

Despite being able to halt one project, the community is powerless against a relationship between a Nubian businessman and the Aswan governorate, who have planned several developments, including a mall, that are bound to exacerbate  the region’s environment.

When in 2009 the businessman Mansour Amer attempted to build “Porto Aswan” near the Aga Khan tomb, the local community solicited help from singer Mohamed Mounir, who in turn petitioned the Supreme Council of Antiquities to intervene.

Based on its proximity to the tomb, the project never came to fruition.

Soon thereafter, locals came across  few workers (sounds like a similar case in Israel, where Israel Energy Initiatives started digging on the sly) and discovered that Ali Agha, formerly from the area, had bypassed due process and appealed directly to the governorate for permission to build the “Khan Aswan” project.

Given that Nubian tribal customs determine land ownership, and that very few people actually “own” their own land, the community felt betrayed by the authorities who overlooked their customs in favor of development.

Ali Agha told Al-Masry Al-Youm that he had Nubian interests at heart, and that he intends to not only build a prototype Nubian village, but also that he will only employ Nubians.

Meanwhile, the governor’s spokesman Mohamed Hassan told the paper that the region needs development and investment, and that the mall – complete with 150 outlets and restaurants –  along with four new hotels will create 14,000 jobs.

Asked whether the governorate was concerned about the development plan’s impact on the local environment, he claimed that the bigger the project, the more resources available to ensure environmental protection.

Meanwhile, the Nubian culture is certain to enter into extinction. This is what the Gamal Ahmed Salahin, a local chieftain, told Hoda Baraka from Al-Masry Al-Youm:

We have always considered this area to be a natural protectorate; we dont want to see it ruined with the construction of touristic projects bound to attract more investors to follow suit.

Other residents worry that expansion will eventually dispossess them of their own land. The Noba nomads, after which Nubia is named, settled the Southern Egypt/Sudan region in the 4th century.

:: Al-Masry Al-Youm

More on the Nile and Aswan:

Barge Sinks in the Nile, Releasing 110 Tonnes of Diesel

Nile Awareness Mission: Aswan to Alexandria In A Kayak

Art and Spirituality: The Antidote to Bigger, Better, More

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