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Engineers Without Borders:Energy at the West Bank

David ChristensenResearch Assistant

Department of Development & Planning

damc@plan.aau.dk

ChairmanEngineers Without Borders Denmark (Aalborg)

Lessons in Renewable Energy Service Provision in a Conflict Zone

Seminar on New Business ModelsAalborg University, November 8 2010

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Contested Space:PalestinianCommunities in Rural South Mount Hebron

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Stipulations in the Declaration ofPrinciples 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)

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Contested Space:PalestinianCommunities in Rural South Mount Hebron

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The Idea

- a logical framework approach minus indicators, means of verification andassumptions

Development Objective

Sustainable livelihoods in the Southern Mount Hebron Region of the West Bank throughimprovement 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

OutputSufficient 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 account6

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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 Mller Holm on the

feasibility of renewable energy projects in the West

Bank.

September 2009 EWB-Denmark project team

established with AAU students supervised by DavidChristensen, Fridolin Mller Holm as project

manager. Contact initiated with Comet-ME, an israeliNGO specializing in renewable energy installations in

the same area of operations.

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Butter Churner:

Unexpored marketpotential?

Conducting a preliminary field study

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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-Palestinerespectively.

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. Relationsbetween Comet-ME and EWB-Palestine break down.

Completely.

August 2010 Fridolin Mller Holm, DavidChristensen 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.

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The cursed Middle-Eastern handshake: Danish,

Palestinian and Israeli partners clasping hands.

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Student Field Mission, November 2009

EWB-DenmarkTeam:

Joszef-Bartha Attila

PawStefan JensenKatja Lhdesmki

Jules RisserKristen Skelton

Mission: Fact-finding, stakeholder negotiation, project design

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The Students7th semester (Environmental Management &

Sustainable Energy Planning & Management)

Paw KatjaAttilaKristenJules

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The Students Problem

Formulation/Research Question

How can renewable technologies satisfy the needs and improve the quality of lives for villagers

ofHaribat-an-Nabi and Qawawis in a sustainable way?

Who are our primary stakeholders?

Possible challenges for collaboration? What are the villagers needs?

Long and short term? What are our technological options?

What is the availability of funding? Allocation?

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Implementation at Haribat-an-Nabi,

May 2010

EWB-DenmarkTeam:

PawStefan Jensen

Katja LhdesmkiKristen Skelton

Jesper Rost Villumsen (New from Engineering College of Aarhus)

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Evaluation and Mediation Trip, August

2010

EWB-DenmarkTeam:

Fridolin Mller Holm (Project Manager)

David Christensen (Project Manager)Bissan Zamzam (New from AAU Esbjerg)

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Challenges and Contention Points

A very tangible Tragedy of the

Commons

System dimensioning OK in theory; Inpractice, could not take into account badneighbourly relations within the

community itselfThree families cannot agree on sharing

the power load. One family

overconsumes. Result: Battery isdepleted, days go by without powerRefusal of payments: Inability on the partof the community to understand paymentmechanisms and/or unwillingness to

accept treating electricity as a paid-for

commodity20

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EWB-PalestineAn 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 theinstallations, and handle system maintenance.

Comet-MEEWB-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 thecommunities.

Comet-ME insists that based on experience,

immediate handing-over of control of payment

services to a community doesnt work.

Comet-ME insists that Palestinian energy service

companies have no mandate for operating in Area Cand 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.

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Two Diverging Viewpoints

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Despite all this

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Never doubt that a small group of

thoughtful, creative, committedcitizens can change the world.

Indeed, it is the only thing that ever

hasMargaret Mead