27-09-2010
“The coming year will mark a huge change for Comet-ME as we are now working on a long range plan for the electrification of the whole region of South Mount Hebron - every house, clinic and school in the three years to come. This is very ambitious plan but we are very excited about the challenge!” - Elad Orian, COMET-ME
Last year World Challenge visited the COMET-ME renewable energy project in South Mount Hebron on the West Bank. Kristin Sellefyan, from our team in Switzerland, met Elad Orian and Noam Dotan - two Israeli physicists bringing electrical power to off-grid Palestinian villages. She saw firsthand how simple technologies like an electric milk churn made a real difference to the lives of the local community of Susya.
Now, a year on, it's good to see how World Challenge publicity has helped contribute to a growing recognition of the group's work. They have certainly been very busy – in the six months following our visit they completed a major project supplying five villages across the area with renewable power from lightweight and low cost solar and wind installations.
The two scientists have also added a new metering system to the technology, allowing communities to measure and charge for the power, with the proceeds going towards ongoing maintenance work on the equipment. They are currently completing a mapping survey of the entire South Mount Hebron area to work out a 3-year development plan to roll-out this innovative energy project across the district.
There is, however, still a lot of work to do. Noam says “Gaza, Hebron...they all seems quite the same from top of the world”. Recently the Pulitzer-prize winning New York Times Op-Ed columnist Nicholas Kristof visited the South Hebron Hills and heaped praise on the project. But Elad noted the local Isreali chicken farms still “get more electricity and water than all the Palestinians around here.”
Posted by Oliver Lamb
Click on the project name to view the producer blogs
World Challenge Down to Business visits previous World Challenge projects with Robert Lamb and sustainability expert Leo Johnson.
We have looked back at some of the previous finalists to see how their projects are fairing. Click on the links below read about these projects.
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