Interview With Elad Orian: Building Wind and Solar Energy for Palestinians With COMET
Rachel Bergstein | | 26 Comments | Email this
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This past summer, you finished installing standalone renewable energy systems in twenty homes in the village of Susya. How have they been working out?
Elad: Things have been very successful. All the systems work – that’s one thing. On top of that, a very important thing, the maintenance of the system, at least to some degree, will be done by local communities. We have very good indications that this is the case. People make their system work if something breaks down, or install new components without even calling us. Some families moved around and brought the systems with them, installed them in the new place, and didn’t need our help, which for us is the clearest indication that they understand the system, know that it works. If they need spare parts they call us.
What’s next for your organization?
Elad: We’re going to do more of this. We are now fundraising. We are looking for the correct formal structure for our organization. We’re not sure yet what route we want to go. We’re fundraising now to be able to do this in more communities.
With current market conditions, it’s much cheaper to get energy from the grid than from renewables. So for now we are focusing on off-grid communities. There are enough of those in Palestine to keep us busy for a long while.
More on and renewable energy and green justice in Palestine:
Lifesource: Working for Water Justice in Israel and Palestine
Old Israeli Dump Threatens Water Resources in West Bank
SPNI Boycotts Ministry of Environment Gala Over New Settlement
Groundbreaking Wind Energy Project to Power Palestinian Hospital
26 Responses to “Interview With Elad Orian: Building Wind and Solar Energy for Palestinians With COMET”
Diego • March 17th, 2009 • 3:50 am
It really out a smile in my face to see that people are helping this kind of countries, and that they use renewable energies its greater.
Solar Greek • March 18th, 2009 • 1:04 pm
Well done..Everybody should focus in helping the reconstruction of Palestine
A Solar-Powered Comet Lights Palestinian Villages | Green Prophet • October 6th, 2009 • 12:00 pm
[...] their website, they describe the mission of their homegrown project, COMET (Community, Energy and Technology in the Middle East) as facilitating “social and economic empowerment… The core of our activity is the [...]
Sustainable Energy Non Profit, Comet-ME, is a Finalist in the BBC World Challenge – Vote For Them Now! | Green Prophet • October 13th, 2009 • 8:14 am
[...] Comet-ME (Community, Energy, and Technology in the Middle East) is one of those visionary non-profit organizations that recognizes the fact that environmental concerns span the Middle East’s borders, cultures, religions, and histories. At the end of the day, all the residents of the Middle East want an environmentally sustainable and fruitful future for themselves and their children. [...]
Talitha Kumi School in Beit Jala is Home to Palestine’s First Solar Thermal Plant | Green Prophet • December 14th, 2009 • 1:06 pm
[...] on solar energy in the Palestinian Authority: Comet ME Finalist in BBC Challenge An Interview With Comet ME’s founder Elad Orian A Solar Powered Comet Lights Palestinian Villages Solar Ovens in Gaza AKPC_IDS += [...]
Eliyahu Aranivitz • September 12th, 2010 • 3:08 am
This is an interesting project, i have red about it on Solar-Israel portal
Eli
California Solar Engineering • October 27th, 2010 • 12:59 pm
Yes! This is exactly what will help change people’s lives and bring up the bottom line in living conditions around the globe- just think about the medical and emergency situations helped by such electricity.
Greek Solar Engineering • November 25th, 2010 • 9:21 am
A very nice post on how solar power can reconstruct a broken country. solar power can help people stand on their feet again while helping environment and earth as well.
Keep up guys the good work!
Bill • December 7th, 2010 • 6:46 pm
Green Foot Forward has been advocating the construction of a solar wall of peace that would run the length of the border between Gaza and Isreal. Electric power from the sun might be just the thing to help bring light into a region that yearns for peace.
Bill • December 7th, 2010 • 6:47 pm
Check out the Solar Wall of Peace on You Tube
Karin Kloosterman • December 8th, 2010 • 10:33 am
I think it would be vandalized. Sounds like a very risky investment to me.
Carl Muller • January 9th, 2011 • 2:05 am
We will only be remembered for the things we did that we did not get paid for, all other are blowing away in the wind….
“If for an instant God forgot that I am just a puppet, and He
gave me one more piece of life, I would take advantage of
that time, the best I could.”
Gabriel Garcia Marquez.
“I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the whole community and as long as I live, it is my privilege to do for it whatever I can. I want to be thoroughly used up when I die, for the harder I work the more I live.”
—George Bernard Shaw
California Solar Engineering • February 18th, 2011 • 12:26 pm
This is a great project and really shows what you can accomplish with the technology if you put it to the right ends.
Sarah • March 13th, 2011 • 6:38 am
Hello,
I really need to put these panels on the roof of my small diahatsu car. Plzz guide me bcoz fuel is too expensive and continuously rising. Please provide me the steps so that i can fix solar panels on my car. need home made panels with cheap price..
Larry Gershel • July 10th, 2011 • 7:43 am
Great job, keep it up!
Φωτοβολταικα • September 9th, 2011 • 7:14 pm
totally agree : “Connecting to the grid is not an option. It’s out of the question, not going to happen because of the politics of the occupation”
Solar PV Installers Blog • October 21st, 2011 • 3:58 am
An inspiring story illustrating how solar power can unite people and build bridges in war torn regions – keep up the good work!
φωτοβολταικα θεσσαλονικη • November 15th, 2011 • 10:15 am
Palestinians need the green energy for making progress. I see the same in Greece (we are not very rich country), we need solar and wind energy to build a stronger society.
apokriatika • November 22nd, 2011 • 4:34 am
Solar Energy can save the planet and countries like Palestinians. It is cheap, it will always be and its the solution to not be under the knife of petreleum and gas.
ανταλλακτικα αυτοκινητων • December 20th, 2011 • 1:38 pm
Every progress to end the energy problems and the pollution of this planet is acceptable. I know that solar energy can make this world better.
φωτοβολταικα • February 7th, 2012 • 12:35 pm
Great job, keep it up!
φωτοβολταικα • February 14th, 2012 • 5:31 am
This is an interesting project
γραμματεας • February 17th, 2012 • 8:14 am
A very nice post on how solar power can reconstruct a broken country. solar power can help people stand on their feet again while helping environment and earth as well.
Keep up guys the good work!
German-Funded Solar Projects in West Bank Face Demolition | Green Prophet • February 28th, 2012 • 2:13 pm
[...] Elad Orian, a physicist at Comet-ME, told the Associated Press that the group didn’t ask for permits, feeling it would have been futile because Israel considers the communities illegal. He believes demolition is still months away, and hopes political pressure by Germany, which gave more than 400,000 euros ($520,000), will save the projects. [...]
Battle To Save Solar In Remote Palestinian Villages | Green Prophet • March 19th, 2012 • 9:49 am
[...] Elad Orian is clearly a man on mission. It’s just gone 8pm and he is busy telling me about his work with Comet-ME, which provides renewable energy to Palestinian villagers living in the south Hebron Hills. His mission, however, is to save 6 of these projects from demolition. “The Palestinians were hoping it wouldn’t come to this as the solar panels had been there for a while,” tells me Orian over the phone. “But in the same way, this isn’t exactly a big surprise. In Area C there are around 10,000 outstanding demolition orders…” [...]
Φωτοβολταικα • April 11th, 2012 • 1:00 am
Great project!