Alleviating the Impacts of Gaza’s Energy Crisis on Population’s Well-Being through Sustainable Electricity Generating Technology

Home to nearly two million people including 1.4 million refugees, the Gaza Strip has long struggled with severe electricity shortages. According to the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, this acute energy crisis is pushing the Gaza Strip to the verge of disaster with serious implications for the health, water and sanitation sectors.

Currently, only 38% of Gaza’s electricity needs are met, leading to people receiving less than 6 hours of electricity per day and hospitals providing minimal services supporting only critical functions such as intensive care units. This electricity crisis, coupled with the continuous conflict, causes high levels of stress that affect people’s physical and mental health and well-being. This project aims to assess the impacts of electricity shortage on the general population’s and refugees’ health and well-being and co-develop a novel pilot plant to provide clean and affordable electricity using solar energy.

Research Team: Dr Raya Al-Dadah, University of Birmingham; Dr Mohammad Abuhaiba, Islamic University of Gaza; Dr Mazen AbuQamar, Al-Azhar University; Dr Surindar Dhesi, University of Birmingham; Dr Irina Kuznetsova, University of Birmingham; Dr Saad Mahmoud, University of Birmingham