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Investing in Palestine

Courtesy of
DirecTECH Holding Co. Inc.

DirecTech Renewable Energy was established in 2018, after two years of intensive study of the particulars of the Palestinian situation – as the Palestinian energy sector is almost entirely dependent on electricity imports, with the majority of imports coming from Israel – and the available technologies worldwide. The company is committed to the professional development of the sustainable renewable energy sector because it believes that the lack of energy security is one of the main challenges that Palestine faces today and a critical obstacle in realizing sustainable political and economic independence.
Thus, DirecTech Renewable Energy provides unique solutions to ensure the successful delivery of renewable and sustainable energy through the design, installation, operation, and maintenance of high-quality sustainable energy facilities. Among them are solar photovoltaic (PV) power plants in various applications and residential, industrial, commercial, and agricultural settings.
The company’s goal and focus is on quality rather than quantity. As engineer Basem Hishmeh, chairman of DirecTech’s board of directors, explains, “We execute our projects with the highest possible efficiency, and all our PV system components are from the top five manufacturers worldwide.” Ayman Abd Al Fattah Abu Dayyah, DirecTech’s general manager, asserts, “Our team comprises Palestinian engineers who are creative, experienced, and highly skilled in the design, installation, operation, and maintenance of plants. They can work anywhere and anyplace efficiently.”
A solar energy project by Next Era for Energy’s; The Hill of Sumud (Tallet al-sumud) in Yatta that consists of a 2-MW facility.

With strong relations with local and international institutions, DirecTech Renewable Energy has produced technical proposals and feasibility studies for solar PV power plants in various applications. The company’s first renewable energy project was a 1-MW (megawatt) power-generating farm in Beit Hassan village in Nablus Governorate that was implemented in conjunction with the local council. The second energy project was a joint venture with Hanna Khalil Gedeon, owner of Al Kafa’ah Co., which constructed a 5-MW power farm in Tubas, a Palestinian city in the northeastern West Bank. Both projects have been completed successfully, and the facilities are currently operating.

Al-Bawwabeh date farm (Mazra’et al-Bawwabeh) in Jericho.

In addition, DirecTech Renewable Energy has embarked on a series of PV plants that it calls Sun of Freedom. The first project was implemented in 2020 in cooperation with the Joint Services Council in Al-Nassariya, a village in Palestine’s central valley. Sun of Freedom 1 provides 984.15 kW and is funded entirely by Palestinian investors in the diaspora. The project was executed in less than four weeks, overcoming the difficulties caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The company plans to continue implementing Sun of Freedom PV plants at a rate of 5 MW per year until the Palestinian Authority has developed the electrical grids to embrace large-scale projects, at which time the company plans to execute plants with capacities of 10 MW in Palestine.

Basem Hishmeh, CEO of DirecTECH Holding.

Realizing the need to expand and venture into new projects and sectors, DirecTECH Holding Co. Inc was established in 2021, encompassing several newly founded companies. It aims to bring together several key elements to create partnerships with local businesspeople engaged in the sector. The strategy is to utilize the land and natural resources that are available in Palestine, employ Palestinian people from all walks of life, and secure funding from Palestinian Americans who live in the diaspora.

Ayman Abd Al-Fattah Abu Dayyah,
DirecTECH’s general manager.

Integrated Green Energy (IGE) Ltd. was created as an engineering, procurement, and construction company (EPC) of PV solar power plants; it is formed by a partnership between Al-Kafa’ah Clean Energy Solutions and DirecTech Renewable Energy Company, with a capital of US$3 million, registered under the number 562750059.

Through IGE, Al-Kafa’ah and DirecTech have implemented many successful projects in solar energy systems that benefit leading Palestinian companies of varying capacities. By the end of 2020, these exceeded 11MWp. They represent numerous international companies in PV, including Schneider Electric Solar, Fromius, MeteoControl, ADIWATT, KiloWattsol, Trina Solar, PhotoWatt, and DomeSolar, among others.
Palestinian projects associated with IGE include implementations at the Palestine Poultry Company (Azziza) – Oja Farms; the National Beverage Company – Coca-Cola, Jericho Mineral Water, and Cappy; the Palestinian Energy Authority (PEA) that runs 35 schools and maintains the water well in Al-Fara’ah Camp and the water storage tank in Asira, all of which are off-grid. IGE furthermore includes the Yasser Mansour Company for Industry and Trade that produces plastic products, the facilities of Qalqilya Municipality, Al-Quds Pharmaceuticals Group – Al-Barq Stock, the Latin Patriarchate churches throughout the West Bank, and the Science Center Association’s mosques and schools.
Substation at a Yatta (near Hebron) solar energy project.

The company Next Era for Energy Limited (NEXT) merges two independent companies in the field of renewable energy: DirecTech and Jaffa New Solar Power (Jaffa NSP), a company established in 2013 for the sole purpose of developing independent power-producing (IPP) assets in Palestine, with a focus on utility-scale solar PV facilities. Aiming to establish a broader investment into renewable energy sources in Palestine, NEXT will design, implement, and develop new solar stations through merged efforts, as each party contributes a well-trained staff of engineers, specialized equipment, and ambitious plans for the future.

Al-Hurriah 1

NEXT has prepared the site of the first plant that encompasses a 5-MWp facility in Tubas Governorate. The design, engineering, and procurement phases have been carried out, with construction to be completed in October 2023. Other projects associated with NEXT include a 5-MW plant in Shams village, Tubas Governorate; a 1-MW plant in Shams al-Hurreya; and the project titled The Hill of Somod in Yatta that consists of a 2-MW facility.

Investors visiting Al-Bawwabeh farm, where the famous Mejdool dates are grown.

Aradi Fund LLC was established by eight Palestinian-American businesspeople and professionals who live in the US and share a vision to create a strong agricultural sector in Palestine. They pursue this goal by supporting the development of the Palestinian agriculture sector. Aradi Fund investors strive to ensure the finest work for the country as they pursue their main goals and objectives of investing in agricultural projects and financing agricultural initiatives in Palestine.

One of the banana plants from the farms in Ein al-Beida

In 2020, Aradi Fund LLC established Aradi Fund Ltd as a branch that operates in Palestine and appointed Ayman Abu Dayya as general manager for all its agricultural projects. Since its inception, Aradi Fund, in cooperation with DirecTech, has started a date farms project in Jericho, banana farms in Ein al-Beida, grape farms near Al-Nassariya, and strawberry farms in Beit Imrin.

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