Egyptian electricity production generated from solar energy dropped by 48% in 2012/13 compared to the year 2011/12,the Egyptian Center for Public Opinion Research (Baseera) declared on Monday. Baseera reported that solar energy production in Egypt totalled 247m KWh in 2012/13, compared to 479m KWh in 2011/12. Managing Director of the Egyptian Electric Utility and Consumer Protection Regulatory Agency Hafez Abdel-Aal Elsalamawy told Daily News Egypt that renewable energy production – both solar and wind – has fallen. Elsalamawy said that he was unable to confirm the figures issued by Baseera but he stated that "Solar energy does not constitute a significant portion of the energy in Egypt". Elsalamawy added that the production of renewable energy reached 55 MW from wind and 20 MW from solar in October. He claimed that the low production of electricity from renewable energy in Egypt was due to poor weather conditions and wind speed. Solar research professor and former head of solar research at the National Research Institute of Astronomy and Geophysics (NRIAG) Rabab Helal told Daily News that Egypt has massive potential in solar energy. "There are 300 solar days in the year in Egypt, which is a wealth that is not exploited because of the high cost of solar power generation" said Helal. She added that wind energy is a more common source of renewable energy is Egypt because of its low cost. Helal attributed the cause of solar energy production decline to poor maintenance of the devices generating solar energy or damage in some solar cells. Renewable and new energy is a significant part of President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi's energy policy. In September, the Ministry of Electricity announced new feed-in tariffs for electricity generated by new and renewable energy sources for households and private sector companies in a move to encourage investment in the industry. The Ministry of Electricity received offers on 20 October for a tender by the New and Renewable Energy Authority (NREA) to construct Egypt's first solar operated electrical power plant.
