Near the southern Egyptian city of Aswan, a swath of photovoltaic solar panels spreads over an area of desert so large it is clearly visible from space.
They are part of the Benban plant, one of the world's largest solar parks following the completion last month of a second phase of the estimated $2.1 billion (¥229.8 billion) development project.
Designed to anchor the renewable energy sector by attracting foreign and domestic private-sector developers and financial backers, the plant now provides nearly 1.5 gigawatts to Egypt's national grid and has brought down the price of solar energy at a time when the government is phasing out electricity subsidies.