Ahmed Abdul Rahman

Pioneered affordable solar energy solutions for rural Egypt

Ahmed Abdul Rahman (b. 1972) revolutionized renewable energy access in rural Egypt through his innovative solar energy systems. Starting in the late 1990s, he developed low-cost photovoltaic systems that enabled off-grid communities to access electricity for the first time. His company Nile Energy Solutions created modular solar kits priced at 1/3 the cost of competitors, impacting over 500,000 households. His work was featured in Greenpeace's 2005 report on sustainable energy innovations. Abdul Rahman also co-founded the African Solar Collective, a nonprofit training program that has certified 2,500 technicians across 15 countries. His TEDx talk Solar Power for the Forgotten has been viewed over 2 million times. Key partnerships with UNDP and the World Bank scaled his initiatives to include solar microgrids for healthcare facilities and water pumps. His 2008 book Lighting the Desert remains a seminal text in sustainable energy policy.