Cairo, October 17th 2012: Schneider Electric Egypt, has inaugurated its first solar power station in the village of "Abou Monkar" in New Valley Governorate, as a national project aiming to revive the concept of using clean solar energy to generate electricity in Egypt and the region. Schneider has donated the full value of the project, including equipment and human expertise, as part of the company's duty and social responsibility towards the nation and their interest in creating success stories for the use of clean and renewable energy to contribute to the preservation of the environment and to confront global warming.
It is worth mentioning that Schneider Electric is the global specialist in energy management, where it grows steadily through the expansion of its business around the world. Schneider Electric's vision for the world's energy is based on confidence in the future and the positive reaction to face enormous challenges in the field of energy and the environment. Despite what seems on the surface that the world today is suffering from a severe crisis in energy, Schneider Electric researches demonstrated that 30% of the energy consumed by the world is wasted. This urges Schneider Electric to constantly develop advanced solutions to ensure that energy needed today is also available in the future while keeping an eye on the environment. In this regard, Schneider Electric develops strategies and solutions, integrated energy management systems and techniques, as well as service automation systems and preventive maintenance based on statistical prediction of potential problems and addressing them before they occur.
The solar station at Abou Monkar runs at a total capacity of 108 kWh / day on the 170-square meter, enough to meet all the basic needs of homes and infrastructure in the village, a school and a mosque as well as other services. Schneider Electric has bore the installation cost of this solar station in full with low operating and maintenance costs as it fully relies on renewable energy in a place where the sun shines throughout the year. The station, which is built in a remote place, at a distance of 120 km from the nearest power grid, is installed to operate lighting systems in homes in addition to a school and a mosque with energy efficient bulbs. Schneider Electric will also assume training the residents of Abou Monkar on the best way to maintain and operate the station.
Major Tariq Mahdi governor of New Valley expressed his sincere appreciation and thanks to Schneider Electric for their genuine adoption of construction projects and community development through the provision of essential needs to the people of the village of Abou Monkar at Farafra Oasis.
He also expressed his gratitude for the company's interest in such projects, which will make the lives of citizens in these difficult areas a lot easier, wishing for the continuation of the company in supporting such projects at the governorate and hoping other companies operating in the field of solar energy will follow the example of Schneider Electric.
This successful experience might be a catalyst for concerned governmental entities to support the implementation of solar energy projects and sustain the establishment of a solar energy Institute in New Valley Governorate. Nature and space contribute effectively in the implementation of such projects, especially in light of solar technology acceleration and recent feasibility studies, which confirm that the project covers it's cost within 3 to 4 years with a life expectancy of at least 25 years.
General Manager of the Governor's office and coordinator of the project, Brigadier Tamer Said asserted that solar power production at Abu Monkar village in Farafra Oasis is an initial step towards transforming Egypt into a producer of renewable energy. This will take place through the economic and social efforts that the company pursues. Said added that solar energy is the most abundant in Egypt and the most suitable for minimizing environmental hazards. He also expressed his deep gratitude towards the efforts exerted by Schneider Electric to put an end to the suffering of the village's residents.
Commenting on the opening of Abou Monkar solar station, Mohammed Saad, president of Schneider Electric in Africa and the Caribbean said: "Schneider Electric has launched a sustainable program under the name" BIPBOP" - Business, Investment and People at the Bottom of the Pyramid, seeking to provide clean and safe electricity to unprivileged people in all parts of the world, and this project comes as one of the positive steps in achieving this goal." "There are more than 1.6 billion people worldwide who lack access to electricity and Schneider Electric strives to be a key partner in providing clean energy for this category. In addition to the Abou Monkar, the company has applied this model in several places around the world, where we have provided electricity and lighting solutions for free in a remote village at Madagascar, as we have provided solar-powered saving bulbs, for poor families and working classes in some poor villages in India", Saad stated.
He added: "Schneider Electric's interested in developing the most efficient solutions in the field of energy management through benefiting from the accumulated expertise and its developed researches. We have extensive experience in the development of the best medium voltage systems as well as comprehensive solutions for the management and rationalization of energy consumption, products and services for automated high-efficiency, which fit any company or organization of any size or sector. Our operations in different regions and various conditions make us overcome the challenges any of our clients may face, and pushes us to develop solutions that become available to the rest of our customers in the rest of the world."
Walid Sheta, Corporate Vice President and Head of Business Development and Marketing Schneider Electric Egypt and North East Africa: "Schneider Electric believes in the importance of the "right to access energy" for each person regardless of the region in which they live, as it enables children to learn, and makes the family connected to the world, and improves the chances of individuals in the development of their economic conditions and improve their living conditions. We recognize at the same time the difficulty of connecting electricity to remote places in the traditional methods, that is why we are always interested to contribute to the wider use of clean energies and renewable energy to benefit the largest number possible of people around the world."
Hani Ibrahim, Services, Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy Marketing Manager at Schneider Electric Egypt & North East Africa and the Executive Director of the project said: "in the field of engineering, we always keep a sharp eye on numbers and efficiency, and engineering standards, but working on this project on the ground was a significant challenge enabling the team to work closer to the people of Abou Monkar and see how the solar station affected their lives positively. This amazing experience will not be forgotten by anyone who has worked with us in this project, because we have seen with our own eyes the other human side of engineering working to change the lives of citizens, even if they live hundreds of kilometers away from us."
The only hope to reach a stage of stability is to develop the means to utilize wasted energies either through resorting to renewable energy or the energy conservation in general. Schneider Electric aims to take part in community service projects following its belief in the importance of contributing to the growth and development of the society in which they operate through innovative and effective solutions to provide safe and clean energy for the whole world.
About Schneider Electric
As a global specialist in energy management with operations in more than 100 countries, Schneider Electric offers integrated solutions across multiple market segments, including leadership positions in Utilities & Infrastructures, Industries & Machine Manufacturers, Non-residential Buildings, Data Centres & Networks and in Residential. Focused on making energy safe, reliable, efficient, productive and green, the Group's 130,000 plus employees achieved sales of 22.4 billion Euros in 2011, through an active commitment to help individuals and organizations make the most of their energy.
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© Press Release 2012
