CAIRO, EGYPT – Egypt's first solar-powered gas station has begun operations in downtown Cairo, according to news reports. The station will host its official grand opening ceremony later this month.

The station belongs to Misr Petroleum, the national distributor of petroleum products, which is launching a pilot project to convert more of its stations to solar energy, in order to reduce consumption of traditional fuel and avoid service suspension during the country’s frequent power cuts. Egypt has witnessed increasing electricity cuts over the last few years, manifested in frequent blackouts and fuel shortages.

The gas station uses a system that allows storage of an energy surplus generated during the day to allow the station to operate throughout the night. The project is being implemented by private company Smart Engineering Solutions in cooperation with publicly held Sianco.

Egyptian officials have recently presented renewable energy, especially solar energy, as a way out of Egypt's energy crisis. The government has also announced that it will provide credits for renewable energy in order to encourage private investment in this area.