The power of the sun and the wind
EAs with Noam in Susiya
The wind turbine at Nawajah's
Noam drinks some tea and talks a little bit in Arabic to some of the Nawajah children before continuing to talk about the project. "We aim at collecting enough money to be able to construct ten installations," he explains. "We also have the idea of building a centre equipped with washing machines and refrigerators that will be commonly shared by the families." By giving the families access to refrigerators, the project managers hope that in the future it might be possible for the Susiya people to increase their production of dairy products and develop them for commercial use. The community in Susiya make their livelihood through their goats and sheep, and are already self-sustaining in milk, yoghurt and cheese. Due to a lack of cooling facilities, however, it has thus far not been possible to increase and take the production to a commercial level.
Noam also puts forward the other positive effects that access to electrical light will bring the families, as it will allow them to make use of the dark hours of the day (and it certainly is dark after sunset in Susiya). Provided with light in the evenings, the children will be able to do their homework more efficiently, and the adults will have the opportunity to engage in recreational activities, such as handicraft or reading, after finishing their day's work.
The venture to develop alternative sources of energy in Susiya is partly environmentally motivated. The pure energy that is derived from the solar panels and wind turbines is a welcome change to the diesel generators – which are polluting and expensive – that some of the families already use. However, Noam and his colleagues are also politically motivated. They consider the efforts to provide the Susiya communities with facilities that they have been denied because of the occupation as a way of supporting the families in their struggle to hold on to their lands. "Look around you!" Noam exclaims, pointing towards the settlement that dominates one of the hilltops near Susiya. The sun is starting to fall, and the settlement basks in the light of a large number of light posts. "The settlements use, even squander, energy 24 hours a day, but it's obvious that the people down here will never be attached to the electricity grid that the Israeli government provides even the illegal settlement with. It's this unfair situation that we are trying to fight, in a small way, through our project."
One important aspect of the project is that control of the technology should be in the hands of the Susiya community already from the beginning. To reach this goal, Noam and his colleagues are planning for some training sessions for the families that already have or will have panels and turbines installed shortly. The group also has a long-term vision of turning Susiya into a regional centre of using environmentally friendly energy.
Both Noam and the Al-Nawajahs have a positive outlook on the future of the electrically powered Susiya community. "We have already started discussing what could be done to get us connected to the Internet as well," one of the unofficial spokespersons and community leaders tells us. "If we can get it to work out with the cables we will soon be able to access the net, insha'allah! That, I'm very much looking forward to!"
