In the days of volatile fuel prices in the U.S. and around the world, it is not hard to see the appeal of alternative sources of energy. But for many of the rural villagers in Palestine, who live in caves and tents and are barred from connecting to the electric power grid, a light bulb to read at night is a daydream.Representatives of the Villages Group, a network of Israeli humanitarian volunteers, are helping Palestinian families in two villlages in the Susya area of South Hebron. Using engineering and entrepreneurial skills from the high-tech industry of Israel, and the manpower resources of a nearby Kibbutz, the volunteers designed a combined “Solar Wind Turbine.”
CEF made a small grant for a prototype that established the use of “off the shelf” components to demonstrate the viability of the turbine design to generate electricity in these remote areas.
The Villages Group is also training Palestinian villagers to maintain the turbines, as a source of revenue. The advent of electric power will also open up economic opportunities for the villagers, such as cheese production from goat milk—which requires refrigeration. To view a video on the project, please visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WIf_vdzcup4 |
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Alternative Energy in Susya |
