Economical and Environmental Feasibility of the Renewable Energy as a Sustainable Solution for the Electricity Crisis in the Gaza Strip

Abstract

Energy crises in the Gaza Strip push interested and concerned parties to start investigating new energy alternatives for energy security. Energy security includes the conservation and reliability of energy supplies to satisfy demand at all times and at good prices, while also avoiding human health and environmental impact. In fact The Palestinian Electricity Authority has made strenuous efforts in order to relieve suffering of Gazans, including the planning to construct the gas pipeline from Israel to provide the power station with gas instead of distillate oil as well as increasing the capacity of the station to reach 550 MW. In light of the political context in the Gaza Strip and in relation to many conditions of energy and electricity supply problems, sustainable energy can play a key role in guaranteeing energy security of the Gaza Strip in the long-term. The present paper analyzed the current energy situation in the Gaza Strip, and proposed four scenarios to get out of this impasse. Economical and Environmental assessment has been established in order to find out the scenario which achieves higher revenues. The renewable energy plants were won in this competition. The study made a schedule for the full transmission of the electricity industry from traditional to renewable energy. It shows that the annual cost of distillate oil fuel for 110 MW power plant (the current situation) is 735,475,000 [ILS/year] and the environmental damage cost is 445,069,320 [ILs/year] in addition the Palestinian electricity authority pays Israeli electricity company the cost of 120 MW (that Israel provides the Strip) about 462,528,000 [ILS/year]. This money together (1,643.7232 million ILS) is enough to construct 150MW wind farm power plant, and year by year the situation will be better and through 4 years the crisis will be vanished and without any additional pressures on the Gazans, further more increasing the quality of the environment, reducing the amount of CO2 emitted to the atmosphere by 484,250 kg/day. To remove the doubt about the wind energy effective (and renewable in general), our neighbor Jordan has built a wind station with 117 MW capacity at a cost of 289.05 million USD (1,120.7278 million ILS). But unfortunately, the provision of a sustainable and renewable source of energy for the Gaza Strip has not been a priority for any of the donors or successive Palestinian governments. It remains the duty of the international communities and national agencies to defend the property of the Palestinian people, especially on the infrastructure level against the repeated attacks of the Israeli army against the Gaza Strip, otherwise, it is worthless any attempt to advance the Palestinian people.