The MOUSTADAMA Programme has organized its first Palestine CleanTech Champions Day – 1st Edition 2021 to present the projects developed by a group of selected startups who have participated to its Palestine CleanTech Acceleration Program. The Palestine CleanTech Champions Day -1st Edition 2021 has been celebrated on February 3rd with a parallel event taking place in Ramallah, West Bank, and in Gaza, Gaza Strip, in front of the highest representatives from the Palestinian institutions, donors, and business and investors community. The six finalists, who have been selected by a technical jury during the course of two Pre-Champions Days hold on the 24th and 25th of January, have mounted on stage to pitch their projects and compete to win three prizes of 25,000 Euro each for their research and development activities.
Launched at the end of 2019, the MOUSTADAMA Programme is funded by the European Union and implemented by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization in partnership with the Ministry of National Economy, the Ministry of Entrepreneurship and Empowerment, and PENRA. In July 2021, MOUSTADAMA has launched its Palestine CleanTech Innovation Program, which includes the first CleanTech Competition and CleanTech Acceleration Program ever implemented in Palestine and in the region. 45 candidates – out of 92 eligible applications who responded to the Competition call - have submitted their ideas and/or products in the fields of energy efficiency, renewable energy, and water-energy nexus for the industrial sector. During its 12-week acceleration journey, the Palestine CleanTech Acceleration Program has been coaching them with dedicated technical and business mentorships which have been coordinated by the UNIDO team and its network of local and international experts. 22 startups – out of the 32 that have attended the Program - have been screened to access to the pitching of the Pre-Demo Days, from which were selected the finalists who have attended the Palestine CleanTech Champions Day
Conceived as timely solutions to the specific needs of Palestinian industries, the technologies and ideas proposed by the candidates of the Palestine CleanTech Acceleration Program range across different subsectors and applications of the renewable energy, energy efficiency and water energy nexus fields. Several projects have explored the systems and technologies that allow to increase the solar panels efficiency by 20-40% through cleaning and cooling. Others have explored the combination of existing technologies with solar PV systems to reduce the amount of used electricity: it is the case of solar fruits and vegetables dryers, who can produce higher quality products with competitive prices and are addressed to fit the needs of small agro businesses. Other proposals relate to waste-to-energy and waste-to-product technologies, together with battery-recovery related solutions, energy auditing services, and biologically clean pesticides for agricultural use, which potentially reduced the amounts of irrigation water and electricity used by industrial production. Lastly, several projects tackle water desalination and recur to various technologies – including solar, ocean wave energy conversion, and biogas - to desalinate water through energy-efficient processes and make it available for drinking, agricultural irrigation, and sanitation.
“We know how clean technologies are strategic for our country”, states H.E. Mr. Khaled Osaili, Minister of National Economy. “The high costs associated with energy, demand outstripping supply, industrial productivity challenged not only by the cost but also by the availability of energy - these are all reasons that make it important to persevere in our efforts to build a thriving cleantech sector and to support the Palestine CleanTech Innovation Program to be able to attract and coach new talents for the upcoming editions”.
“Cleantech is a relatively new sector to Palestine but, like few others, is expected to bring significant results in both the field of sustainable energy solutions and economic growth. The path pursued by the candidates of the Palestine CleanTech Acceleration Program has certainly been challenging. Candidates have been pushed to focus on the value of their proposal and, beyond its desirability, on its feasibility and viability. The Program has encouraged them to acquire the method, resources, and leadership to tackle their entrepreneurial journey with the right tools and knowledge”, has declared H.E. Mr. Ussama Sadawi, Minister of Entrepreneurship and Empowerment.
“A promising and exciting journey towards Palestine’s green transition has just started. I wish the winners to achieve their projects and thank UNIDO for having created the conditions to nurture Palestinian creative entrepreneurial spirit. The focus on environmental issues is at the heart of the European Green Deal which should also benefit our Palestinian partners. Clean-tech activities represent a new growth strategy to transform the Palestinian economy into a modern, resource-efficient, and competitive economy. The Palestinian Green Deal is here to remain,” said the EU Head of Cooperation Mr. Gerhard Krause.
“We are pleased with the progress made by the startups who participated to the Palestine CleanTech Acceleration Program. Our efforts have been directed to enhance their potential, filling technical and entrepreneurial gaps, and making their proposal more solid for their market launch”, states Mr. Ahmed ElFarra, UNIDO Palestine Senior Programme Officer. “Cleantech is an extremely promising sector both in terms of economic growth potential and environmental impact. We are pleased to share UNIDO’s expertise in the cleantech field and to be the first to introduce a dedicated Program tackling both technical support and business guidance“, he continues.
THE three WINNERS of the Palestine CleanTech Innovation Competition – 1st Edition 2021:
Live from Ramallah and Gaza, the fix finalists chosen by an international jury delivered a five-minute pitch in front of the audience and the public connected from remote, and were judged on the basis of three main criteria: the proposed technology, their market potential, and the profiles of the applicants.
The three winners of the Palestine CleanTech Innovation Competition – 1st Edition 2021 are:
SYNGAS: Founded by Taysir Abdallah Aziz with Ghada Barghouth, Abdallah Taysir Aziz, and Ezzeddin Taysir Aziz in Gaza, SYNGAS 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. Produced locally and with a lower environmental impact, syngas is produced at a lower price than the existing energy sources in the market. The device has already successfully tested, and Syngas is planning to start production soon.
ECO-BRICKS: Founded by Sa'ad Yasser Jaradat with Oday Zaher and Hanan Jaradat, ECO-BRICKS has developed high-quality, eco-friendly, and energy and water-efficient recycled construction materials made from stone-cutting sludge as main component. Their bricks, which have already been successfully tested, are highly durable and can increase industrial construction efficiency by providing heat and water-leak isolating qualities.
PALGY: Founded by Ahmad Othman, 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.
The three winners have been awarded of three 25,000 € prizes which will be allocated to the implementation of their R&D activities.
THE other three FINALISTS of the Palestine CleanTech Innovation Competition – 1st Edition 2021 are:
BATTERY DOCTOR: Founded by Dalia AL Bardaweel in Gaza, Battery Doctor proposes a solution that aims to revive damaged batteries of all sizes and types. The device breaks up the internal lime of the battery and revitalizes it, increasing the efficiency of the batteries by 60% to 80%. The extension of the batteries’ life cycle also reduces their environmental impact.
BIONEMATICIDE: Founded by Mahmoud El Hindi with Shahira Tayseer Odeh in Gaza, Bionematicide has developed Rizo Pro, a biological control agent which helps farmers to control plant disease such as nematodes. Compared to chemical pesticides, Bionematicide Rizo Pro can minimize nematodes by 100%. As a result, yield quality and quantity can increase by 40%, and farmers’ profit by 30%. In addition, Bionematicide Rizo Pro can reduce the consumption of electricity and water, while providing a lower risk to beneficial microflora by 66%.
SOLAR FOOD: Founded by Hanadi Sufyan AbuHarbid and Maram Sufian Abu Harbied in Gaza, SOLAR FOOD Solar Food has developed a hybrid solar heat pump dryer technology using a hybrid compact design and an energy-saving system by integrating a solar air heater collector with a heat pump system. The device reduces the costs of dried food production and enhances the efficiency of the food drying processes and the quality of the final products. As the proposed system has two energy saving sources, the food can be dried at any time thanks to its temperature and humidity controllers.
