Renewable Energy in Palestine: Reality and Obstacles to Development

Unpublished paper. The full text is in Arabic and available as a PDF from the top of this page.

Abstract

High population growth, rising living standards and rapid industrial growth have produced enormous demand for energy in the Palestinian territories. Against the problem of energy security, attention has increasingly turned to greater reliance on renewable sources.

This article sets out to examine how renewable energy use has developed in Palestine and the challenges facing it.

The energy picture

• Under the Oslo Accords, any development in electricity or energy must proceed through cooperation between Palestine and Israel — a structural constraint on any independent development path.
• The electricity sector depends on Israel for 86% of its electrical supply, alongside further challenges in infrastructure and distribution.

Sources

The article draws on the general renewable energy strategy issued by the Palestinian Energy and Natural Resources Authority, renewable energy statistics from the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, and papers from the Palestine Economic Policy Research Institute (MAS).