Palestinian girls study school duties by candlelight in the Rafah refugee camp in the southern Gaza Strip (Photo by Abed Rahim Khatib)
Palestinian girls study school duties by candlelight in the Rafah refugee camp in the southern Gaza Strip (Photo by Abed Rahim Khatib) - University of Birmingham experts are developing a novel solar energy pilot plant that will help to provide clean and affordable electricity to people living in the Gaza Strip. Working with counterparts at the Islamic University of Gaza, the researchers are combining two efficient technologies in a new way that will also help to assess the impacts of electricity shortage on the health and well-being of Gaza's population. The new plant integrates highly-concentrated advanced multi-junction solar cells with the Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) that exploits low temperature waste heat from cooling the concentrated PV cells to produce electricity. Home to almost two million people including 1.4 million refugees, the blockaded Gaza Strip has long struggled with severe electricity shortages. The UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) fears serious implications for health, education, water and sanitation sectors as a result of the energy crisis. Project leader Dr. Raya AL-Dadah , Reader in Sustainable Energy Technologies at the University of Birmingham, commented: "Just 38% of Gaza's electricity needs currently are met. People receive less than six hours of power per day, leaving hospitals providing only critical functions such as intensive care units.
TO READ THIS ARTICLE, CREATE YOUR ACCOUNT
And extend your reading, free of charge and with no commitment.
