Ramallah-(BNEWS)- The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) in Palestine is set to host a pivotal event in Cairo aimed at exploring business linkages and opportunities for applying clean technology solutions aimed at the revitalization of the Palestinian economy and providing post-conflict humanitarian and development tools for the recovery and reconstruction of the Gaza Strip.
Organized under UNIDO’s MOUSTADAMA Programme, funded by the European Union and implemented in collaboration with the Ministry of National Economy of the State of Palestine and the Palestinian Energy and Nature Resources Authority (PENRA), the Regional CleanTech Investment Event in Cairo - Clean Technology Solutions for Gaza Strip’s Early Recovery and Reconstruction is marking significant step towards fostering connections between Palestinian cleantech entrepreneurs and investors from Egypt and the wider region, as well as raising awareness among stakeholders and preparing institutions to embrace innovative approaches towards a more sustainable recovery and reconstruction in the Strip.
The event, which is conducted in partnership with the European Union Representative Office in Jerusalem and the Ministry of National Economy, will take place in Cairo on 20 May and will feature two dynamic sessions. The first session will host esteemed speakers, including representatives from the United Nations and UNIDO, who will explore the pivotal role of cleantech in driving innovative economic development, particularly in post-conflict and developing regions, and will discuss the anticipated growth projections associated with this burgeoning sector. The second session will showcase ten pioneering Palestinian startups – Aquai, Agriotech, Eco-Bricks, Flowless, Future Technology & Energy, Glean for Sorting and Recycling, Ice-Tech, Nanotechnology for Water Systems and Environment, Palgy, Sustain Tech, and Syngas - as they present their innovative solutions, growth strategies, and applications in both Palestinian and regional contexts.
The Gaza Strip, grappling with a dire humanitarian crisis following unprecedented military operations, faces urgent infrastructure challenges, including housing, energy, water, sanitation, and healthcare facilities. Meanwhile, the West Bank is confronted with a severe economic stagnation, necessitating support for the private sector and institutions to overcome these challenges.
Against this backdrop, clean and green technology solutions emerge as vital catalysts for Gaza's recovery and reconstruction efforts, offering sustainable alternatives to address immediate infrastructure needs while promoting long-term resilience. Renewable energy sources present opportunities to alleviate electricity shortages and ensure reliable, sustainable energy supplies for homes, businesses, and essential services, even when the energy infrastructure is disrupted. Moreover, solutions in the water-energy and in the water–energy–food (WEF) nexuses help meet unfulfilled demand for energy and water supply, optimize resource efficiency, reduce waste, and maximizing crop yields with a lower environmental impact. Integrating green technologies into the recovery and reconstruction process promotes environmentally conscious restoration, emphasizing sustainability in construction, energy efficiency, and eco-friendly development. For investors, the cleantech sector represents an opportunity to support socially and environmentally conscious startups with significant growth potential.
Mr. Ahmed ElFarra, UNIDO Senior Programme Officer and Head of the Programme Office, emphasizes the dual benefits of sustainable recovery and reconstruction in the Gaza Strip: alleviating the burdensome situation while enhancing the market presence of Palestinian startups in the cleantech sector. “The ongoing tragedy in Gaza Strip calls for our utmost commitment to pursue a more sustainable and innovative recovery and reconstruction effort, one that prioritizes the well-being of the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip and the scaling up of startups that have cultivated ingenious ideas within Palestine. This presents Egyptian and regional investors with a promising opportunity to invest in a growing sector that will support the much-needed revitalization of this land, together with potential expansions within the region”, he stated.
Regional CleanTech Investment Event in Cairo - THE STARTUPS
Agriotech - Agriculture Orientation Technology
AGRIOTEC's precision technology system provides an effective solution for safe agricultural production and monitoring of chemicals & pesticides focusing on greenhouse farmers. AGRIOTEC addresses the problem of random consumption of agricultural resources by providing farmers with an integrated system offering centralized monitoring and customized guidance and instructions. The system uses machine learning methods to support the farmer's performance in agricultural activities, helping to increase crop production and reduce costs.
Founders: Hisham Ali Shriam, Mohammeed Shriam
Aquai - Where Efficiency Meets Innovation
AQUA AI is a pioneering startup that revolutionizes solar water heaters by turning them into intelligent systems. Their innovation allows real-time sharing of water temperatures within the heater, empowering users to manage water usage efficiently. This not only reduces wastage but also cuts carbon dioxide emissions, maximizing the benefits of solar water heaters in both residential and industrial sectors. AQUA AI's technology can reduce the consumption of electric water heater by an impressive 50% to 80%.
Founders: Abed Al-Ghani HamedAtef Shkokani, Mohammad Shkokani
Eco-Bricks - Energy Efficient Eco-Bricks
Eco-Bricks aims to provide high-quality, eco-friendly, and energy and water efficient recycled construction materials responding to the market needs. The company has developed and successfully tested bricks, which is highly durable and can increase industrial construction efficiency by providing heat and water-leak isolating qualities. In addition, brick production solves a local environmental problem by utilizing stone-cutting sludge as the main material.
Founders: Saad Jadarat, Oday Zaher, Hanan Jadarat
Flowless - Sustainable Resources, Resilient Communities
Flowless helps factories and manufacturers improve daily operations and resource efficiency through remote monitoring and control automation. Flowless web platform analyzes real-time data and get automated interpretations to help automate processes, reduce waste, and increase profitability. Flowless' system utilizes AI-aided analytics to detect faults and optimize operations, ultimately cutting down operational costs and reducing input materials and energy losses.
Founders: Baker Bozyieh, Osama Hannini, Iyad Arafat, Ayya Bozyieh
Future Technology & Energy - Transforming Agri Waste to Energy
The startup has developed a solution to break down agricultural waste into several useful products, including briquette charcoal (70%), biochar (20%), wood vinegar (7%), and Tar (3%). Briquette charcoal is a more concentrated, smokeless, slow-burning, more efficient fuel source, and easier to store and transport than traditional charcoal.
Founders: Hasan Zayed, Ali AlHendawi
Glean for Sorting and Recycling - From Plastic Bags to Interlock Tiles
Glean for Sorting and Recycling is an initiative to collect and recycle plastic bags to produce sustainable tiles for use in infrastructure projects. This project reduces plastic pollution and provides sustainable building materials. It also raises environmental awareness and contributes to sustainable development. In general, this project is an example of using innovation to solve an environmental problem and achieve multiple economic and environmental benefits.
Founder: Khalil M K Aldadah, Ghadeer Hamdouna
Ice-Tech - Free Freeze All Day
Ice Tech presents an innovative, cost-saving solar solution to keep freezers running smoothly. Its core components are a PV solar panel that feeds a MPPT controller which maximizes the power output and transmits it to the DC compressor. The system allows to harness the power of the sun and save money on electricity costs.
Founders: Nasser Dawoud, Abed Al Karem Dawoud, Khaled Dawoud
Nanotechnology for Water Systems and Environment - It’s Green, It’s Clean, It’s Never Seen — That’s Nanotechnology
This start-up uses advanced nanotechnology to improve water and wastewater treatment processes. By using nanotechnology-based modified membranes, they achieve higher water recovery, longer membrane life, improved energy efficiency and reduced operating costs in water treatment. This innovation holds great promise for addressing water challenges.
Founders: Ali Alsayed, Dr. Ahlam Bushkar, Mulham Bushkar
Palgy - Solar Panels Cooling and Cleaning Device
Palgy proposes a device that cools and cleans solar panels, raising their efficiency by 30%. The system generates water from the atmosphere via a condensation process, stores it, and then sprays the water on the panels’ surface when their temperature rises. Thanks to its up-to-date cooling and condensation technologies, the device consumes less energy and hence can generate and store more water.
Founder: Ahmad Othman
Sustain Tech - Technology of Sustainable Energy
Sustain Tech developed a low-cost dynamic controller for PV-Gen hybrid systems that works with both old & new generators. The controller allows the generator to operate at the minimum load and maximize solar energy utilization. Fuel consumption is meant to be reduced by up to 60%.
Founders: Maisara AbuOun, Aseel AbuHasanein
Syngas - Toward Clean Energy & Better Environment
Syngas team has developed a device that processes biomass to produce syngas, an alternative to petroleum and other fuels that can be used in almost all industries and factories. it’s a sustainable local alternative energy source at a lower price than the existing sources in the market. The device was successfully tested and the SYNGAS team is planning to start the production soon.
Founders: Taysir Aziz, Ghada Barghut, Abdallah Aziz, Ezzeddin Aziz
About the MOUSTADAMA PROGRAMME
MOUSTADAMA, which translates to "sustainable" in Arabic, represents a comprehensive five-year program extending until 2024. Its core mission is to boost competitiveness within Palestine's industrial sector by actively advocating for and facilitating the adoption of sustainable energy solutions.
The MOUSTADAMA Programme aims to set the foundations for a conducive renewable energy and energy efficiency ecosystem for Palestinian industry by developing policy, expertise, and clean technology innovations that will help to alleviate chronic energy shortages and high costs of electricity that have been the reality in Palestine for decades.
With a primary focus on micro, small and medium-sized enterprises in the furniture, food and agribusiness, metal, construction, and garment among other priority sectors identified in Palestine, MOUSTADAMA facilitates the operationalization and enforcement of energy efficiency and renewable energy guidelines, supports demonstration projects showcasing the benefits of locally driven, innovative sustainable energy solutions, and promotes the scaling-up of these solutions in the industrial sector. MOUSTADAMA contributes to the global environment through the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and fossil fuel use among targeted industries.
The Programme is funded by the European Union (EU) and implemented by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) in partnership with the Ministry of National Economy (MNE) and in cooperation with the Palestinian Energy and Natural Resources Authority (PENRA) and the Ministry of Entrepreneurship and Empowerment in the State of Palestine.
About MOUSTADAMA’s Palestine CleanTech Innovation Program
The Palestine CleanTech Innovation Program, developed under MOUSTADAMA, fosters innovation and entrepreneurship in Palestine's emerging clean technology sector. The Program aims to support entrepreneurs and start-ups in developing new, locally driven clean energy products and clean technology solutions to be introduced as innovative businesses to the market. Energy efficiency, renewable energy, and water-energy nexus are the main fields of application targeted by MOUSTADAMA’s Palestine CleanTech Innovation Program.
Cleantech encompasses technologies that cut emissions, improve the environment, and reduce the consumption of natural resources. Clean technologies use renewable energy sources like wind, solar, low-carbon fuels, water management and recycling technologies, waste management techniques, and environmentally friendly buildings and transportation.
As the first Program developed in Palestine for the industrial cleantech sector, the Palestine CleanTech Innovation Program offers valuable networking opportunities through business forums, competitions, business workshops, and global expos. These events, combined with media exposure and visibility, provide important linkages to help local cleantech ventures grow and prosper.
