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A solar-powered irrigation pump with pay-as-you-go option
Published: 18/12/19
Comet-ME, an Israeli-Palestinian non-profit which provides renewable energy and clean water services to off-grid communities, has developed a submersible solar magnetic irrigation plunger pump.
Electricity Returns to Palestinian Village, Three Months After Israel Confiscates Power System
Published: 22/10/17
Amira Hass in Ha’aretz: “On October 3, a team from Comet-ME, which had built the hybrid system, reinstalled the panels and reconnected them to the rest of the system, after they were released unconditionally from the Civil Administration warehouses in Gush Etzion. The circumstances of the matter, i.e., the reason the village even needed this…
Israel’s relentless war on EU humanitarian aid to Palestine
Published: 15/10/17
Ylenia Gostoli of TRT World: “In Jubbet adh Dhib, I’tidal breathes a sigh of relief that she no longer has to rely on an expensive, polluting and loud generator for electricity which costs roughly 1,200 euros per month for two hours of electricity a day. Now children can watch TV programmes and study in the…
Ice Cream, Appliances, and Autonomy: Rural Electrification Project Lights West Bank Village
Published: 01/05/17
Osie Adelfang’s blog post and slide show for Homer Micro-Grid News and Insights about Comet-ME’s micro-grid in the village of Jeeb al-Dheeb: “Unlike energy poverty in the developing world, geography plays no part in Jeeb al-Dheeb’s situation, which is created wholly by politics. The reality for Palestinians living in areas designated “Area C” is a…
Off-grid in the Holy Land: Palestinian Microgrid Solutions for Energy Poverty - Part 1
Published: 19/12/16
Osie Adelfang of Homer Microgrid News & Insight writes about off-grid renewable energy initiatives in the Palestinian territories, with a special focus on Comet-ME’s work.
International ‘Off-grid’ Eco Effort Boosts Palestinian Locales’ Infrastructure
Published: 22/11/16
Zafrir Rinat, Haaretz, November 21, 2016: “The off-grid efforts of Comet-ME, which must navigate a politically charged environment, were discussed earlier this month by the organization’s co-founder, Elad Orian, at the Israel Climate Change Conference held at Tel Aviv University.”
Women, Tents, Energy, Caves: The Rural Women Association and Comet-ME
Published: 05/05/16
From Margaret Olin’s beautiful photo-essay: “Dreams and energy fill the room – including the energy without which the meeting would have been next to impossible.”
DelAgua Blog: Case Study: Comet-ME Testing in South Mount Hebron Region
Published: 25/11/15
Read how we ensure that the water coming out of our household water systems meets international drinking-water standards.
Take Part Feature: Solar Energy Access Drives New Wedge Into Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
Published: 07/11/15
Why is the Israeli government issuing permits and guaranteeing loans for huge solar farms on illegal Israeli settlements while Palestinians in Area C can’t get permits to build the most basic infrastructure, including Comet-ME’s mini-grids?
Building Services Blog: Comet-ME. Sustainable rural life
Published: 05/11/15
Write up on Comet-ME in Building Services Blog, a blog that publishes outstanding and amazing solutions for building services and architecture.
Gizmag: Solar and wind technology delivers power and clean water to villagers in the West Bank
Published: 03/11/15
An Israeli-Palestinian NGO is using solar and wind energy to transform the lives of marginalized communities of Palestinian farmers and shepherds.
SciDev.Net: Battle for Basic Services in Occupied Palestine
Published: 17/09/15
Audio interview with Comet-ME General Manager Elad Orian
Press Release: Sabotage to Comet-ME Renewable Energy System in Bir el Eid
Published: 28/03/14
Friday, March 28, 2014 The Palestinian community of Birl el Eid, located in the south Hebron hills, in Area C of the West Bank, suffered an attack on Wednesday evening, March 26, when five solar panels funded by Germany, New Zealand and private foundations were damaged by unidentified attackers. The attack happened despite…
Franciscan Media Center: Renewable Energy Improves Lives of Palestinians
Published: 09/05/13
Watch video report about Comet-ME’s renewable energy systems and how they improve lives of Palestinian communities in the southern Hebron hills.
Groenlinks Magazine: Solar energy in threatened territory
Published: 01/05/13
Solar and wind energy help Palestinian shepherds and farmers in rural territory move forward. Though the threat of forced demolition of the installations, mainly financed with Western donations, hangs over the projects (in Dutch).
Down to Earth Magazine: Fighting Windmills
Published: 30/04/13
Fourteen hundred Palestinians in the West Bank have electricity thanks to the windmills and solar panels of the Israeli-Palestinian Comet-ME (in Dutch).
IPS: Israeli Cloud Hovers Over Green Energy
Published: 23/04/13
A quiet diplomatic war is being waged by several European governments against the Israeli Civil Administration which controls the Israeli occupied West Bank. At stake is the destruction of a humanitarian project funded by a number of European governments, international organisations and foundations, worth approximately half a million euros and years of voluntary manpower hours…
Duetsche Welle: Israelis, Palestinians Unite on Energy Project
Published: 10/12/12
The NGO Comet-ME’s new center is to serve as a permanent base of operations to provide clean energy to Palestinian communites who are off-grid in the West Bank.
Press Release: Comet-ME and 29 International Organizations Call for Quartet Action
Published: 20/09/12
The government of Israel’s eviction and demolition plans for 13 Palestinian villages in the Hebron Hills come as demolition and displacement rates have hit a three-year high, adding to the uncertainty about the future for Palestinians living in the Israeli-controlled Area C
Global Post Earth Project: Activists Bring Renewable Energy to Remote Palestinian Villages
Published: 13/08/12
Video: Desert Oasis – Activists bring renewable energy to remote Palestinian villages. This video is part of Global Post’s The Earth Project, featuring short documentaries about innovative and inspiring alternative energy initiatives.
The Permaculture Institute of Australia: Reflections on a visit to the South Hebron Hills
Published: 28/07/12
Alice Gray writes about her impressions after visiting Comet-ME’s project in Herbaiat a-Nabi and why this is the kind of design needed in permaculture to control against the erosion of human cultures and human rights.
The Associated Press: Palestinian Village Faces Demolition by Israel
Published: 20/06/12
Last week, Civil Administration inspectors distributed demolition orders for several dozen structures in Susiya, including the school, a makeshift clinic, residential tents, animal shelters and German-funded solar panels.
The New York Review of Books: Israel in Peril
Published: 07/06/12
David Shulman’s review of Peter Beinart’s The crisis of Zionism refers to his experiences with Comet in South Mount Hebron. “Volunteers and peace activists with technical know-how such as Noam Dotan and Elad Orian, from the organization known as Comet-Me, have painstakingly built wind turbines and basic electric grids in many of these villages to…
The Guardian: Palestinians prepare to lose the solar panels that provide a lifeline
Published: 15/03/12
Israel is planning to demolish ‘illegal’ solar panels that are the only source of electricity for Palestinians in West Bank villages.
Monocle 24: West Bank Green Energy Project Creating Tension between Israel and Germany
Published: 14/03/12
West Bank Green Energy Project Creating Tension between Israel and Germany.
The Christian Science Monitor: Palestinian solar power: why Israel may turn out the lights
Published: 11/03/12
As peace negotiations remain stalled, a project to bring rural electrification to Palestinian communities in the West Bank faces demolition by Israel.
BBC Arabic: Solar Panel of Hebron
Published: 10/03/12
Watch television news broadcast about threat of demolition to Comet-ME’s systems (Arabic).
The Scotsman: Spark of defiance brings electricity to remote village
Published: 09/03/12
“We’re very happy with the electricity,” says Nuzha al-Najar, who used to spend five hours a day churning butter but now uses a machine that takes less than an hour. Using a washing machine instead of doing laundry by hand also saves her time.
Mondoweiss: Connecting the West Bank to solar energy: A day at the Abu Kbeta family compound
Published: 08/03/12
Tomer Weinstein writes about his day with Comet at the Abu Kbeta family compound.
Channel 2 News Israel: Will electricity be shut off at a Palestinian village?
Published: 23/02/12
Watch television news broadcast about threat of demolition to Comet-ME’s systems (Hebrew).
Ha’aretz: Israel demolishes West Bank villages as Jewish outposts remains untouched
Published: 21/02/12
Israel’s eagerness to demolish renewable energy installations in a West Bank village is seen as an ugly riposte to the European Union
Der Spiegel: Palestinian Villages May Soon Go Dark Once Again
Published: 16/02/12
Several small Palestinian villages in the West Bank had been without electricity for decades — before an Israeli foundation with funding from Europe recently installed solar panels and wind turbines. Now, though, Israel wants to remove the facilities because they are on land under its administration.