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Engineers Without Borders: Energy at the West Bank

Engineers Without Borders: Energy at the West Bank. Lessons in Renewable Energy Service Provision in a Conflict Zone Seminar on New Business Models Aalborg University, November 8 2010. David Christensen Research Assistant Department of Development & Planning damc@plan.aau.dk Chairman

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Engineers Without Borders: Energy at the West Bank

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  1. Engineers Without Borders:Energy at the West Bank Lessons in Renewable Energy Service Provision in a Conflict Zone Seminar on New Business Models Aalborg University, November 8 2010 David Christensen Research Assistant Department of Development & Planning damc@plan.aau.dk Chairman Engineers Without Borders Denmark (Aalborg)

  2. Contested Space:Palestinian Communities in Rural South Mount Hebron

  3. Contested Space:Palestinian Communities in Rural South Mount Hebron • Stipulations in the Declaration of Principles of Interim Self-Government Arrangements • (aka the Oslo Accords), 1993 • Area A – Full Palestinian National Authority (PNA) control over security-related and civilian issues (urban areas only) • Area B – PNA civilian control only (some rural areas) • Area C – Full Israeli control (60% land area including settlements and bypass roads between Palestinian communities)

  4. The Idea- a logical framework approach minus indicators, means of verification and assumptions • Development Objective • Sustainable livelihoods in the Southern Mount Hebron Region of the West Bank through improvement of educational standards, decreasing rural-urban migration and increased business opportunities • Immediate Objectives • • Improved Employment Opportunities • • Decreasing Likelihood of Rural-Urban Migration • • Gender Equality • • Decreasing Isolation from Surroundings • Output • Sufficient provision of energy services for Palestinian communities in the South Mount Hebron Region of the West Bank • Activities • Provision of good energy service infrastructure • Build local capacity • Promote appropriate organizational structures taking gender into account

  5. Butter Churner: Unexpored market potential? Project Chronology • May 2009 – International Engineers Without Borders conference in Sweden, including participants from EWB-Denmark and EWB-Palestine. Joint venture project proposed for students from EWB-Denmark, EWB-Palestine and EWB-Israel. • June 2009 – Preliminary field study undertaken by EWB-Denmark engineer Fridolin Müller Holm on the feasibility of renewable energy projects in the West Bank. • September 2009 – EWB-Denmark project team established with AAU students supervised by David Christensen, Fridolin Müller Holm as project manager. Contact initiated with Comet-ME, an israeli NGO specializing in renewable energy installations in the same area of operations. Conducting a preliminary field study

  6. Project Chronology • November 2009 – Student team carries out field mission in the West Bank to carry out further feasibility studies and negotiate with stakeholders. Departure from original project idea – two projects proposed with Comet-ME and EWB-Palestine respectively. • December 2009 – Project fundraising an overwhelming succes. Original budget surpassed. • Maj 2010 – Completion of renewable energy installation in Haribat-an-Nabi in partnership with Comet-ME, EWB-Palestine as observers. Relations between Comet-ME and EWB-Palestine break down. Completely. • August 2010 – Fridolin Müller Holm, David Christensen and Bissan Zamzam (Danish-Palestinian AAU student) carry out last-ditch mediation attempt which ultimately fails. • November 2010 – New EWB-Denmark project team established, decides to exclusively partner with EWB-Palestine for 2nd project. The ‘cursed’ Middle-Eastern handshake: Danish, Palestinian and Israeli partners clasping hands.

  7. Student Field Mission, November 2009 EWB-Denmark Team: Joszef-Bartha Attila Paw Stefan Jensen Katja Lähdesmäki Jules Risser Kristen Skelton Mission: Fact-finding, stakeholder negotiation, project design

  8. The Students 7th semester (Environmental Management & Sustainable Energy Planning & Management) Attila Paw Jules Kristen Katja

  9. The Students’ Problem Formulation/Research Question • How can renewable technologies satisfy the needs and improve the quality of lives for villagers of Haribat-an-Nabi and Qawawis in a sustainable way? • Who are our primary stakeholders? • Possible challenges for collaboration? • What are the villager’s needs? • Long and short term? • What are our technological options? • What is the availability of funding? • Allocation?

  10. Implementation at Haribat-an-Nabi, May 2010 EWB-Denmark Team: Paw Stefan Jensen Katja Lähdesmäki Kristen Skelton Jesper Rost Villumsen (New – from Engineering College of Aarhus)

  11. Evaluation and Mediation Trip, August 2010 EWB-Denmark Team: Fridolin Müller Holm (Project Manager) David Christensen (Project Manager) Bissan Zamzam (New – from AAU Esbjerg)

  12. Challenges and Contention Points • A very tangible “Tragedy of the Commons” • System dimensioning OK in theory; In practice, could not take into account bad neighbourly relations within the community itself • Three families cannot agree on sharing the power load. One family overconsumes. Result: Battery is depleted, days go by without power • Refusal of payments: Inability on the part of the community to understand payment mechanisms and/or unwillingness to accept treating electricity as a paid-for commodity

  13. Two Diverging Viewpoints EWB-Palestine Comet-ME EWB-Palestine, or any other Palestinian NGO for that matter, has absolutely no on-the-ground track record of continuous engagement with communities in the area like Comet-ME has. Comet-Me may not be Palestinians, but they are more deeply tied in with the communities. Comet-ME insists that based on experience, immediate handing-over of control of payment services to a community doesn’t work. Comet-ME insists that Palestinian energy service companies have no mandate for operating in Area C and will not do so. They will not be able to provide the same level of service that Comet-ME can provide, and Comet-ME has better knowledge than anyone on how to maintain the system. • An Israeli NGO will never have the legitimacy required to conduct even humanitarian aid work in the Palestinian Territories. Such activities perpetuate the occupation and still place Israelis in a position of power to decide the fates of Palestinians. EWB-Denmark is folly to partner with Comet-ME. • It is unacceptable that payment for energy service provision in the West Bank goes to anything other than Palestinian bank accounts. • EWB-Palestine insists that Palestinian energy service companies should handle payment matters for the installations, and handle system maintenance.

  14. Despite all this… “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, creative, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has” Margaret Mead

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