Renewable energy in the Palestinian Territories: Opportunities and challenges

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Abstract

The Palestinian Territories relies on Israel for 100% of its fossil fuel imports and for 87% of its electricity imports. Total energy consumption in the Palestinian Territories is the lowest in the region and costs more than anywhere else in the Middle East. The purpose of this paper is to present the current energy situation in the Palestinian Territories, evaluate the potential of renewable energies in meeting part of the energy demand and discuss the challenges and benefits of using these types of energies. It is shown that the main renewable energy sources in the Palestinian Territories are solar, wind and biomass. Using the available renewable energy sources in the Palestinian Territories may significantly decrease the energy reliance on neighboring countries and improve the Palestinian population's access to energy. It is estimated that solar sources have the potential to account for 13% of electricity demand and wind energy for 6.6%. The conversion of animal waste into biogas has the potential to meet the needs of 20% of the rural population. The conversion of unused agricultural residue into biodiesel could replace 5% of the imported diesel.

Introduction

The use of renewable energies instead of fossil fuels provides many advantages to developing countries, including an increase of energy services in remote, rural areas, and is associated with general improvement of economic, social and environmental indicators [1], [2], [3]. The use of renewable energy resources around the world is linked intimately with effective approaches to sustainable development: they have a high potential to be cost-efficient, reliable, not damaging to the environment and designed appropriately for local conditions [4].

Given political, economic, environmental, geographic, social and infrastructural conditions in the Palestinian Territories, the advantages of renewable energy over fossil fuels there is greater than it is in other contexts. Small- and large-scale renewable energy systems have the potential to meet the growing energy demand in various parts of the Palestinian Territories where traditional energy systems have not yet reached, do not reach at affordable rates or do not reach reliably due to political conditions. The lack of a stable, reliable and sufficient energy system is one reason that Palestinian community development and economic development are curtailed, even before accounting for anticipated population growth and economic potential. Today, total energy consumption in the Palestinian Territories is the lowest in the region, costs more than anywhere else in the region and constitutes a higher proportion of household expenditure.

Numerous natural and political characteristics of the Palestinian Territories’ small geographic area pose significant obstacles for the Palestinian energy sector. Most fundamentally, the land is nearly devoid of natural resources for the production of fossil energy. There is no physical contiguity between the Gaza Strip and the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Gaza's isolation presents technical and political challenges for transporting, storing, importing and exporting energy. The land comprising the West Bank and East Jerusalem has been subjected to extensive internal and external divisions for political reasons, as Israeli policies and practices in occupying, settling and controlling portions of this land impede or categorically prohibit the development of energy-related infrastructure and activity.

As a result of these conditions, there is no interconnection between Palestinian utility regions [5]. The Oslo Peace Agreement divided the West Bank into Areas A, B and C where Area C indicates full Israeli civilian and military control. Approximately 60% of the land in the West Bank is Area C. The Israeli control of this expanse and the artificial divisions therein severely hinder the potential development of a traditional energy sector's infrastructure and regulation.

The objective of this paper is to provide an overview of the current energy situation in the Palestinian Territories and to analyze the potential impact, benefits and challenges of developing renewable energy sources there. The analysis includes a discussion of the anticipated strengths and weaknesses of potential renewable energy projects.

Section snippets

Current energy situation in the Palestinian Territories

The vast majority of fossil fuels consumed in the Palestinian Territories are imported, with the majority originating in Israel and with marginal percentages from Egypt and Jordan. Fossil fuels are principally consumed by the transportation sector. Fig. 1 shows the primary energy sources in the Palestinian Territories. The majority, 78%, are liquid fossil fuels, such as gasoline, diesel and liquefied petroleum gas, while the remaining 22% is renewable energy sources. Fig. 2 illustrates that

Renewable energy potential in the Palestinian Territories

In contrast to the dearth of traditional energy sources on Palestinian land, there are promising supplies of natural resources, such as solar, biomass and wind energies, for the production of non-traditional energy. Even with a resolution to the political crisis between Israel and the Palestinian Territories, and even if the Gaza Power Plant were generating electricity at its maximum capacity, fomenting the renewable energy sector in the Palestinian Territories would be in Palestinian interests

Challenges to developing the renewable energy sector

Palestinian and international investors are skilled in assessing the macroeconomic pitfalls in the renewable energy sector. However, they do not always take into account a whole series of risks that are more difficult to calculate such as corruption, politics, an uncertain regulatory environment and bureaucratic delays. All of these risk factors raise the need for caution when choosing to invest in the field of renewable in the Palestinian Territories.

As mentioned with regard to the specific

Conclusion

The Palestinian Territories relies mostly on Israel for its fossil fuel and electricity imports. Dependence on the Israeli and other foreign sources is costly in environmental, economic and political terms. The Palestinian Territories has the potential to reduce this reliance by producing its own energy from renewable sources.

If used, the available renewable energy sources, such as solar, wind and biomass, could replace more than 25% of the current Palestinian energy demand. However, any

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