Integration of a stand-alone photovoltaic solar system into Gaza Strip residential buildings

Several concerns face the world nowadays in the field of energy. Gaza Strip, the Palestinian Territories, shares a great deal of these concerns considering its limited resources. One main problem that faces Gaza Strip is the intermittent fuel supply. This has significantly affected electricity supply and, subsequently, economical growth and people´s health and safety. This paper tackles this problem form a different point of view. It considers the current interruption of electrical power as an opportunity that could be invested to encourage people to use renewable energy sources to compensate this energy shortage. Therefore, an emergency photovoltaic system has been suggested as a first step in this regard. The system is a standalone PV system that could be simply installed and used in residential buildings. PV area has been estimated, and system installation has been three-dimensionally modelled. System performance has been compared in two cases: PV installation on the roof and on the southern façade. Results show that both examined cases are feasible due to the abundant availability of solar energy in Gaza Strip. A simple stand-alone PV system with 5 m² PV panels can meet the basic needs of Palestinian households in the cases of emergency or daily power interruption.