Renewable energy potential in the State of Palestine: Proposals for sustainability

Abstract

Renewable energy is not only a viable economic choice in Palestine, but it is also an imperative requirement to end the country's current energy crisis, which is particularly acute in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. The main focus of this study, which makes it the most thorough in its sector, is showcasing Palestine's distinct renewable energy potentials (thermal solar, PV, wind, biomass, and hydropower). The System Advisor Model software (SAM) was used to predict the power potentials for a year. The results indicate that Palestine has a significant potential for PV power generation within 1,700 kWh/kWp. Wind energy can see a considerable difference in capacity, with a mean power density in the high mountains of WB of 600 W/m2, a mean power density for all of WB of 300 W/m2, and a relatively low power density for GS of less than 100 W/m2. Options for investments in the high seas and with the nearby Arabic nations were also offered. About 1,717 GWh of energy equivalent comes from biomass resources. It is determined that the best designed system can produce 82 % of the total while only 18 % is purchased from the grid using HOMER to retrieve the optimum on-grid hybrid energy system. Furthermore, only 70.7 % of the energy produced is consumed, with the remainder being sold back to the grid. Therefore, using renewable energy sources in addition to the grid is advised to cut costs and potentially generate income. Reduce reliance on fossil fuels and combat global warming, as well.