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Lebanon’s new government pushes toward solar energy

Lebanon’s new government pushes toward solar energy

A man adjusts a solar panel that he is selling at his shop in Tripoli on July 31, 2022. (Credit: Nicholas Frakes/L’Orient Today)

Lebanon’s electricity system has been in free fall since the country’s economy crumbled in 2019. The lira collapsed, highlighting Électricité du Liban’s (EDL) mismanagement as it failed to provide more than a few hours of power per day to most areas, forcing the population to rely on costly and polluting private diesel generators to fill the gap. Soaring fuel prices and lifted subsidies made solar power a critical alternative — an improvised, decentralized lifeline.With unreliable power from the national grid and high private generator costs, solar installations have become more than a trend – they're a necessity. Today, Lebanon’s new government appears ready to formalize and scale that momentum.“Solar is extremely important in Lebanon for a number of reasons,” said Joe Saddi, the newly appointed minister of energy and water, during a...
Lebanon’s electricity system has been in free fall since the country’s economy crumbled in 2019. The lira collapsed, highlighting Électricité du Liban’s (EDL) mismanagement as it failed to provide more than a few hours of power per day to most areas, forcing the population to rely on costly and polluting private diesel generators to fill the gap. Soaring fuel prices and lifted subsidies made solar power a critical alternative — an improvised, decentralized lifeline.With unreliable power from the national grid and high private generator costs, solar installations have become more than a trend – they're a necessity. Today, Lebanon’s new government appears ready to formalize and scale that momentum.“Solar is extremely important in Lebanon for a number of reasons,” said Joe Saddi, the newly appointed minister of energy and...