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
Author: Rachel Bergstein
When her vegan summer camp counselor explained to a fifteen-year-old Rachel how the dairy industry pollutes the groundwater in poor rural communities and causes global warming, there was no turning back. Her green fire lit, Rachel became increasingly passionate about the relationship between human societies and the natural environment, particularly about the systemic injustices associated with environmental degradation. After snagging a B.A. in Peace and Justice Studies at the University of Maryland, where she wrote an undergraduate thesis on water injustice in Israel/Palestine and South Africa, Rachel was awarded the New Israel Fund/Shatil’s Rabbi Richard J. Israel Social Justice Fellowship to come and spread the green gospel in Israel for the 2009-2010 academic year. She currently interns for Friends of the Earth Middle East in their Tel Aviv office. When Rachel is not having anxiety about her ecological footprint, carbon and otherwise, she can be found in hot pursuit of the best vegetarian food Tel Aviv has to offer. She also blogs about her experience as an NIF fellow and environmentalist in Israel at organichummus.wordpress.com. Rachel can be reached at rachelbergstein (at) gmail (dot) com.
That’s a great project! Good for you.
Great project!
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!
This is an interesting project
Great job, keep it up!
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.
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.
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.
An inspiring story illustrating how solar power can unite people and build bridges in war torn regions – keep up the good work!
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”
Great job, keep it up!
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..
This is a great project and really shows what you can accomplish with the technology if you put it to the right ends.
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
Check out the Solar Wall of Peace on You Tube
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.
I think it would be vandalized. Sounds like a very risky investment to me.
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!
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.
This is an interesting project, i have red about it on Solar-Israel portal
Eli
Well done..Everybody should focus in helping the reconstruction of Palestine
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.