Why are people moving to solar power in Yemen?

The migration to solar power is part of what researchers say is an energy revolution in the country of 28 million, where the electric grid has been decimated by fighting. More than 50 percent of Yemeni households rely on the sun as their main source of energy, and solar arrays power everything from shops to schools to hospitals.

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 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.

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.

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.

Is too much water being pumped in Yemen?

But new research says that too much water is being pumped and the whole country is at risk. Not much good news has come out of Yemen since the country's civil war began in late 2014. But one thing generally seen as positive has been the country's overwhelming adoption of solar power.