Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities signs MoU to promote solar energy use at heritage sites – EQ Mag Pro
A number of Egyptian and international organisations signed a memorandum of understanding during COP27 to promote the use of small solar energy plants at archaeological sites and museums.
The MoU was signed by Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA), the United Nations Development Program, the Industrial Modernization Centre in Cairo, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, and the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.
According to the MOU, the parties will cooperate to support the implementation of pilot solar photovoltaic projects, including the installation of small-scale solar power plants at cultural heritage sites and museums
The MoU also states that the SCA’s staff will be trained in the skills required to supervise the implementation and maintenance of solar stations.
The MoU also involves supporting solar energy and energy efficiency awareness programs and conducting archaeological and heritage impact assessment studies on the various sites where the solar power plants will be installed.
Secretary-general of the SCA Mostafa Waziri said the MOU is part of the ministry’s plan to transform museums and archaeological sites in Egypt into green sites that rely on solar energy as a sustainable and more economically feasible alternative to electric energy, and to contribute to preserving cultural heritage.
Waziri explained that the SCA started in 2005 several projects to protect the environment, including lowering the groundwater level to protect the temples of Karnak, Luxor, Habu, Ramessium, Seti, AmenhotepII, Kom Ombo and Edfu.
A similar project was undertaken to lower the groundwater level in Kom El-Shoqafa catacombs in Alexandria.
The SCA also started a few years ago operating electric buses at several archaeological sites including the Valley of the Kings, Deir al-Bahari in Luxor, Abu Simbel Temples in Aswan, and the Salah al-Din Citadel in Cairo.
Source: ahram
