Recently, on the island of Karaman in the southern Egyptian city of Sohage, the scorching sun baked the sandy land along the Nile River. On the rooftop of the photovoltaic research and development base building of the Egyptian Academy of Science and Technology, rows of photovoltaic panels are greedily absorbing every ray of sunlight, converting abundant light into a continuous stream of green electricity. Three years ago, this was a barren land with limited electricity and difficulty in accessing water; Now, the Sino Egyptian Joint Laboratory for Renewable Energy, jointly built by Chinese and Egyptian researchers, is quietly rewriting the energy fate of this desert.

Building a research and development system from scratch

Before 2023, the photovoltaic field in Egypt will be almost blank - there will be no standardized research and development sites, no complete production equipment, and all photovoltaic cells will rely on imports. After the joint laboratory construction was launched, the 48th Research Institute of China Electronics Technology Group Corporation and the Egyptian side worked together to build a complete R&D and production system covering the core processes of battery production and a complete set of professional testing equipment for Egypt, and built a purification R&D and production site suitable for desert climate. In October 2023, Egypt's first half cell photovoltaic cell was born here; One month later, Egypt's first high-efficiency half cell photovoltaic module was successfully produced. Professor Mohamed Zahran from the Egyptian Academy of Science and Technology exclaimed that the joint laboratory is the core carrier for us to achieve these breakthroughs.

Small and beautiful projects benefit local livelihoods

In response to the actual pain points of local power shortage and water difficulties, the joint laboratory has built a series of demonstration projects such as off grid photovoltaic systems, photovoltaic water lifting systems, and photovoltaic water purification systems. Lu Yunzhang, a researcher at the 48th Research Institute of China Electronics Technology Group Corporation, introduced that these "small and beautiful" livelihood projects have effectively alleviated the problem of local electricity and water supply. Professor Arif Illeva from the Egyptian Academy of Science and Technology stated that China and Egypt have collaborated to overcome the high resistance dense grid cell technology, significantly improving the efficiency of photovoltaic cells and laying a technical foundation for the development of products that are suitable for Egypt's local lighting environment. With the natural advantage of abundant 3000 hours of sunshine per year in Egypt and the complementary mature photovoltaic industry chain in China, the potential for cooperation continues to be released. Keywords: the Belt and Road news, green electricity, international cooperation

Shoulder by shoulder, forge a deep friendship

During the construction of the joint laboratory, the Chinese and Egyptian teams worked closely and shared weal and woe. An urgent need for industrial parts occurred, but local search was unsuccessful. The Egyptian contractor drove over 600 kilometers overnight from Cairo to deliver them. During the debugging of the diffusion furnace, the indoor temperature exceeded 40 degrees Celsius, and the Chinese staff worked tirelessly without complaint to ensure the project was completed on schedule. Zaharan said: We have never been two independent teams, but a family tightly united by a common mission. Zhou Meng, Deputy Director of the Research Department of the 48th Research Institute of China Electronics Technology Group Corporation, revealed that the next step for both parties is to build the joint laboratory into a regional renewable energy innovation center. Through technology joint research and development, demonstration promotion, and training, it will radiate and drive the development of renewable energy on the African continent.Editor/Gao Xue