To keep the lights on and the machines working at the only blood bank in the Gaza Strip, Palestinians are tapping the one natural resource they have in abundance: sunlight.
Just how vital this energy source is became apparent earlier this month when the power plant in the teeming territory was shut down by the most recent exchange of missile and rocket attacks between Israel and Islamic Jihad in northern Gaza.
But the Central Blood Bank Society, whose rooftop is covered with solar panels, kept operating despite the bombardment that caused widespread power outages across the rest of Gaza.
“Our project helped them, and this escalation was a first test,” Sami Matar told NBC News over Zoom from the Gaza Strip.
Matar, who works with the U.S. nonprofit agency American Near East Refugee Aid, or Anera, on solar projects throughout Gaza, said the solar power system installation helped the blood bank operate longer in working hours. He said the generator is often the second alternative when the standard power supply through the fuel-sourced power plant goes out. The whole project cost $46,000, and the panels are estimated to last about 20 years.
Next week, Matar said Anera plans to start the process of submitting a tender for a construction company to install solar panels to power a reverse osmosis unit for an agricultural water well to serve at least seven farms in Rafah. The purpose is to remove salt from the water and assist them with growing more crops. It’s anticipated to be completed by the end of September.
A round of violence broke out in Gaza earlier this month, leaving 46 Palestinians dead, including 15 children and four women. Additionally, 360 Palestinians and 70 Israelis were injured in the fighting.
During the attacks, the Gaza power plant shut down, which resulted in power outages for over 20 hours a day. It was only after a cease-fire was declared Aug. 7 that Israelis allowed fuel deliveries to resume via the Kerem Shalom border crossing so the plant could start generating power again.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
