Why are Syrians using solar panels?

Cut off from the power grid and with fuel costs soaring, Syrians in a poor, embattled enclave have turned en masse to solar panels to charge their phones and light their homes and tents. Solar panels covering rooftops, some of which have been damaged in government attacks, in Binnish, Syria.

Is putting solar panels on roofs a solution in Syria?

“The solution to the problem isn’t putting solar panels on roofs,” Syria’s interim Energy Minister Mohammad al-Bashir told The Associated Press. “It’s securing enough power for the families through our networks in Syria. This is what we’re trying to do.”

Where are solar panels located in Syria?

Solar panels, big and small, old and new, are seemingly everywhere in Idlib Province along Syria’s border with Turkey, rigged up in twos and threes on the roofs and balconies of apartment buildings, perched atop refugee tents and mounted near farms and factories on huge platforms that rotate to follow the sun across the sky.

How many megawatts does Syria need?

Al-Bashir said Syria’s infrastructure that has been repaired can provide 5,000 megawatts, about half the country’s needs, but fuel and gas shortages have hampered generation. With the sanctions lifted, that supply could come in soon.

What role does energy play in Syria's Recovery?

“Given the critical role of energy in Syria’s recovery, we have to rapidly address energy poverty and progressively accelerate the access to renewable energy,” Sudipto Mukerjee, UNDP’s resident representative in Syria, said in a statement announcing the plan.

What is the World Bank trying to do in Syria?

This is what we’re trying to do.” Some of the efforts focus on simply repairing infrastructure destroyed in the war. The World Bank recently announced a $146 million grant to help Syria repair damaged transmission lines and transformer substations.