- Title: Syrian refugee turns to the sun to power Zaatari home
- Date: 4th October 2016
- Summary: MAFRAQ, JORDAN (OCTOBER 1, 2016) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF CARAVANS IN THE ZAATARI REFUGEE CAMP ELECTRICITY POLES IN THE CAMP ELECTRICAL GENERATOR ATTACHED TO A GAS CANISTER EXTERIOR OF SYRIAN REFUGEE, MOHAMMED RAZAWI'S CARAVAN IN THE CAMP SOLAR PANELS ON TOP OF RAZAWI'S CARAVAN MORE OF THE PANELS SYRIAN REFUGEE MOHAMMED RAZAWI, CLEANING THE SOLAR PANELS INSTALLED ON HIS ROOF CLEAN SOLAR PANELS RAZAWI SEATED NEAR HIS DAUGHTERS WHO ARE PLAYING ON IPADS RAZAWI AND HIS CHILDREN IN THEIR HOME / TV AND FANS ARE ON (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) SYRIAN REFUGEE FROM DERAA, MOHAMMED RAZAWI, SAYING: "When we first came to Zaatari, the electricity was intermittent, it would be on for a while then it would disconnect. People started buying generators, I bought a generator too and that worked for a while. But we could not keep up with its gasoline demands, you have to buy gasoline daily, and it only gives you limited hours (of electricity). The moment you run out of gasoline, it shuts off. I thought there must be an alternative, then I heard about solar energy. I asked a man to get me a panel and he did along with the battery and a converter of 1200 watts." VARIOUS OF SOLAR POWER CONVERTER IN THE CARAVAN (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) SYRIAN REFUGEE FROM DERAA, MOHAMMED RAZAWI, SAYING: "When I tried (solar panels) I found that they had many benefits. They helped me save money, if you consider all the spending I did for the gasoline. If anyone adds up the money spent on gasoline and saves it instead, they would be able to get the solar panels in a short period of time. It is not very expensive, you can install it for 400 (JDs)." MORE OF THE CONVERTER ELECTRICITY TESTER VARIOUS OF RAZAWI'S WIFE, UM HADI, MAKING COFFEE UM HADI CARRYING A TRAY OF COFFEE (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) SYRIAN REFUGEE FROM DERAA AND MOHAMMED'S WIFE, UM HADI, SAYING: "When we first came to the camp we lived in a tent for a long time. It was hot, and the children were always covered in sand, as you know it is hard to wash up in the tent. Our life was very difficult, my children and I faced many challenges, they used to get sick often because they were always out in the heat, so I was constantly taking them to the hospital. Once we moved to the caravan, and after my husband bought the solar panels, our lives became much better. I do not take my children to the hospital often, maybe once a year, if someone has a sore throat it is from drinking cold water, we no longer complain of the heat." TV IN THE CARAVAN ELECTRICAL OUTLETS FAN SWITCHED ON VARIOUS OF RAZAWI'S CHILDREN PLAYING WITH THEIR IPADS
- Embargoed: 19th October 2016 12:54
- Keywords: Zaatari refugee camp Jordan solar panels
- Location: MAFRAQ, JORDAN
- City: MAFRAQ, JORDAN
- Country: Jordan
- Topics: Conflicts/War/Peace
- Reuters ID: LVA00152L83F9
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Mirrored solar panels are becoming an increasingly common sight on the roofs of caravans in the Zaatari refugee camp.
Located some 15 kilometres (10 miles) from Jordan's border, the camp is home to around 85,000 Syrians, who receive only 8 hours of electricity a day, starting at around sundown.
For the morning hours, the refugees are left to deal with the suffocating heat and tediousness of daily life in the barren camp.
This has forced many to resort to buying generators, but these are loud, unreliable and costly.
For Mohammed Razawi, installing solar panels on the roof of his caravan was the ideal solution.
"When we first came to Zaatari, the electricity was intermittent, it would be on for a while then it would disconnect. People started buying generators, I bought a generator too and that worked for a while. But we could not keep up with its gasoline demands, you have to buy gasoline daily, and it only gives you limited hours (of electricity). The moment you run out gasoline, it shuts off. I thought there must be an alternative, then I heard about solar energy. I asked a man to get me a panel and he did along with the battery and a converter of 1200 watts," said Mohammed Razawi, a Syrian refugee from Deraa.
The father of three said he strongly advised his neighbours in the camp to install solar panels, after reaping the benefits of his own.
"When I tried (solar panels) I found that they had many benefits. They helped me save money, if you consider all the spending I did for the gasoline. If anyone adds up the money spent on gasoline and saves it instead, they would be able to get the solar panels in a short period of time. It is not very expensive, you can install it for 400 (JDs)," he said.
Razawi said life is much easier now that electricity is no longer an issue. The family now spend their free time watching TV, listening to the radio or just enjoying the breeze created by their small fans.
Razawi's wife, Um Hadi, said her children no longer spend their days playing outdoors in the heat. They now use their iPads for entertainment and for working on homework.
"When we first came to the camp we lived in a tent for a long time. It was hot, and the children were always covered in sand, as you know it is hard to wash up in the tent. Our life was very difficult, my children and I faced many challenges, they used to get sick often because they were always out in the heat, so I was constantly taking them to the hospital. Once we moved to the caravan, and after my husband bought the solar panels, our lives became much better. I do not take my children to the hospital often, maybe once a year, if someone has a sore throat it is from drinking cold water, we no longer complain of the heat," she said.
Officials at the camp said they are currently building a solar panel plant in Zaatari which will increase the hours of electricity they can provide by eight hours.
The project, funded in part by the German government, will begin supplying electricity in 2017.
Nearly 5 million Syrians have fled their country, and some 6.5 million have been internally displaced during the more than five-year conflict, contributing to the record 65.3 million people who were uprooted worldwide last year.
Zaatari has mushroomed in size, becoming by population Jordan's fourth largest city. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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