World’s first clean energy refugee camp provides electricity to thousands — here’s how

It isn’t just the after-effects of conflict and lack of a sense of identity that refugees across the globe suffer from. For most of them, without basic amenities like electricity, meeting daily needs is a strenuous process. However, this can be changed if more countries choose to follow in Jordan’s path.

In Azraq, a town in Jordan, a solar plant funded by the Ikea Foundation is now providing electricity to more than 20,000 refugees. Until the solar plant came into being, the shelter did not have electricity. The power plant has ensured that thousands of families displaced by the Syrian war have a chance at a decent standard of living. According to DW, Um Nasser, one of the refugees who had fled Syria, said,

“Now, it’s so wonderful to have electricity all day, every day. Can you imagine what it has been like for me, having 10 children who cannot study or do their homework in the evening because of a lack of lighting? Often, they had to sleep very early because there was nothing else they could do.”

As electricity is an expensive commodity in Jordan, going green will help the UN Refugee Agency save $1.5 million every year, according to the World Economic Forum.

The plan is to, at some point in the future, upgrade the plant from the present two megawatts to five, thereby providing electricity to all of Azraq’s 36,000 residents.

The building of the plant provided employment opportunities to 50 people from the refugee camp, some of whom will be working on its maintenance in the years to come, giving them a steady source of income.

Source: yourstory