Is solar power a lifeline in Yemen?

“For many in Yemen, especially for farmers, solar power has been a lifeline,” says Matt Leonard, who specializes in microfinance with IFC. “The key now is to scale up its use.” Yemen has long been the poorest country in the Middle East and North Africa, but a conflict that broke out in 2014 has pushed the country to the brink.

Can solar power irrigate a famine in Yemen?

Across Yemen, a growing number of farmers are turning to solar power to irrigate their fields, a shift that comes as the country tries to stave off what the United Nations warns is an impending famine.

Is solar power the main source of energy for Yemeni households?

According to the EADP, which focuses on access to clean and affordable energy, solar power went from being a niche product, used in just a few households in 2012, to the main source of energy for Yemeni households.

Can solar power save Yemeni rials?

Farmer Mohamed Ahmad Sid El Rassam can attest to those benefits. He built a solar-powered water pump on his land in the region of Beni Hocheich. The setup chopped his diesel use by more than 85 percent, saving him 17 million Yemeni rials ($68,000) a year.

Why are Yemen's solar panels so popular?

Secondly, there had been huge growth in use of solar panels in the country. And thirdly, statistics from Yemen officials suggested that, in 2019, there was a large increase in local agriculture after a serious decrease due to the war. The assumption was that people were watering their crops more.

Is solar power to blame for Yemen's water crisis?

A report published this week by the Conflict and Environment Observatory in the UK has concluded that, while the lights may be on all over Yemen now, very soon there might be no water. And, they suspect, it is solar power that is to blame.