Sudanese turn to solar energy amid electricity shortages

A solar panel is seen on the roof of a house of Bank manager, Abdel Maged Khougly, in Khartoum, Sudan May 17, 2021. REUTERS/El Tayeb Siddig

KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Sudanese farmer Mohammed Mahgoub used to spend more than $12 per day on gasoline to keep his farm in Nile River State operating, braving long queues at gas stations to fuel his irrigation pumps.

But a solar energy unit he built a year ago to power his farm has helped him save money, energy, and time. "Now I spend nothing," he said, after the one-time installation cost.