SANAA — When electricity was cut to Yemen's capital four years ago after war broke out, Ebrahim al-Faqih saw a gap in the market and started selling solar panels. Faqih is part of a booming solar sector transforming lives and energy sustainability in Yemen, a poor country with scant rural power access even before conflict knocked out most of the national grid. "Even people who used to work selling food moved to work in solar energy because of the high demand," Faqih said from his shop in Sanaa selling solar water heaters and panels imported from India and China. The United Nations estimates that only 10% of the population had access to electricity after the conflict began.

Source: International New York Times November 17, 2019 12:22 UTC