Palestine

The line will be used in a new PV panel assembly factory located in the West Bank of Palestine which is set to begin manufacturing activities next year.

The Gaza Strip, one of the most densely populated areas in the world, is embracing solar energy as a reliable local energy source. However, its 2 million residents still only have access to electricity for just a few hours per day. Amjad Khashmann reports on damages to installed PV systems and the urgent need for new installations to support education, water, and health care.

The Palestine Investment Fund wants to install solar systems with an average generation capacity of 70 kW on 400 public schools.

The Palestine Investment Fund wants to install solar systems with an average generation capacity of 70 kW on 400 public schools.

Comet-ME has developed a solar-powered submersible borehole piston pump for off-grid communities and smallholders to use for irrigation and domestic purposes. The device, compatible with PV systems from 300-900 W in size, can pump water from 45m with as little as 50 W of continuous solar power.

The Business & Human Rights Resource Centre has published a report looking at the human rights due diligence performance of the renewables industry and examined individual generation methods. The report finds that, while the solar sector is not top of the sad list, its vest also isn’t completely unstained.

The funds will be used to finance solar arrays on 500 schools across the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

The site is the first step in a planned 200 MW portfolio. Along with a few ground mount installations, the Palestinian authorities set out to achieve substantial parts of the portfolio by tapping public rooftops. The authorities have already secured rooftop spaces at 500 schools for the installation of 35 MW of capacity.

DEWA projects featured strongly in this year’s accolades but there was also recognition for projects beyond the region and some eye-catching innovations.

The solar system may be only 0.5 MW in scale but will help the supply of freshwater to 250,000 people within 18 months and further desalination-linked schemes are in the pipeline.