Sunshine4Palestine

Our focus

We aim at developing sustainable alternatives for addressing energy and water needs in emergency situations.

Jenin Charitable Hospital Gaza

We designed and installed a modular plant on the Jenin Charitable Hospital in Gaza. Prior to the installation of the plant the hospital could only work 4 hours a day. Now thanks to the first modulus of the Sunshine4Palestine plant, the hospital has 17 hours of operativity, completely off grid. This is the first hospital in Gaza being completely independent on the electric network.

Tree of Light

This project is aimed at the street illumination in the refugee camps. We propose the installation of photovoltaic trees, and to build a system of LED lamps to illuminate the public areas.

Water from Air

Getting water from air is possible by collecting its the humidity. This is a scalable solution that can provide safe drinking water for small families or, with larger machines, for entire buildings and can be completely powered with renewable energies.

Sustainable Water

When a large amount of water is needed, desalination becomes an important tool. We here propose to use innovative technologies as graphene membranes, blue energy, to produce desalination plants that are powered with renewable energy sources and completely off-grid.

Scientific Divulgation

In collaboration with students from the Applied Science College of the Al-Aqsa University in Gaza we will give rise to the first scientific divulgation project in the Gaza Strip. School kids – between 6 and 18 years of age – will then be guided trough the various experiments, becoming themselves the young scientists that will be performing and explaining science to a broader public. Many small experiments will be conducted, and some groups will work on projects to make the first pieces of what will become the first Science Museum in Gaza.

Escola de Luz

In collaboration with Tabanka ONLUS and with WINDKINETIC LTD, Sunshine4Palestine will convert the “Baltazar Lopez da Silva” school located on the St. Nicolau Island in the Cape Verde archipelagos to photovoltaic. The school, attended by around 1000 students every day in multiple shifts, is currently powered by oil based generators.  Sunshine4Palestine will provide a pre-assembled plug and play PV plant and a didactical kit aimed at teaching the students how energy is produced and stored.

PV Water Distribution Buffer Zone Gaza

Banu Suhaila is an extremely poor rural area that has been devastated by the 2014 attacks. Water, both for domestic and agricultural usage, is currently distributed to the local population by means of gas powered pumps that operate for 3-4 hours, once every 3 days. We are currently working to replace these pumps with photovoltaic ones to provide water for 10 hours a day, every day. We are also planning to provide the area with a solar powered street lighting system of stand alone lamps, as the area is now completely dark at night.

About US

As similarly minded people, we have founded a non-profit association named Sunshine4Palestine, with the aim of applying new technologies and renewable energy sources to provide clean and drinkable water and energy where needed

The Photovoltaic way and Sustainable Water Sources

Having access to an energy source and to enough drinkable water are two ineluctable rights that all human beings should have access to. Recent technological advancements are allowing more and more the usage of renewable energy sources as solar and wind power. When energy is not accessible, off grid systems might be the answer. Smaller scale and distribution on the territory do the rest.

Sustainability
Photovoltaic
Wind
Sustainable Water

Our Team

Sushine4Palestine is an NGO, based in England and Wales (registration number 1152334) founded in January 2013. It has then been registered in Palestine and in Italy.

Barbara

C.E.O. Project Leader, Head of the UK and of the Italian Branch

Dr. Barbara Capone is a theoretical physicist. She is a researcher at the university of Vienna, with an APART fellowship of the Austrian Academy of Sciences. In January 2013 she co-founded Sunshine4Palestine.

Haitham

Project Manager, Head of the Palestinian Branch

Eng. Haitham Ghanem has many years of management experience, most recently in public works and housing in Gaza. Over the years he has been project manager of several projects with other NGO’s. Co-founder of Sunshine4Palestine

Ivan

Project Coordinator

Dr. Ivan Coluzza is a University Assistants in the Faculty of Physics, at the University of Vienna. He is administering a domestic solar plant in Italy. Co-founder of Sunshine4Palestine

Clive

Administrator and Treasurer

Eng. Clive Bower is an Electronics Development Engineer. He has been company director, and he has recent experience in the installation of two PV systems in the UK. Co-founder of Sunshine4Palestine

Francesca

Press Agent

Journalist since 2008, she took part in the editorial staff of the local tv “Rete Oro”, She managed the press office of the various entities, institutional or otherwise, including the City of Rome (Office of Intercultural Policies).

Peter

Senior Scientist

Dr. Peter Van Oostrum is a University Assistants in the BiMat-DNBT-BOKU University in Vienna. Together with Dr. Emanuela Bianchi he is in charge of the Water from Air projects

Emanuela

Technical Consultant

Dr. Emanuela Bianchi is a Elise Richter FWF Senior Postdoc in the Physics department of the Technical University of Vienna. Together with Dr. Peter van Oostrum, she is in charge of the water from air projects

Marina

Fundraising and Publicity

Dr. Marina Manca has a MA degree in Strategic Marketing and several years experience in the Communications and PR industry

Paolo

Austria PR

Eng. Paolo Federico is a research assistant at the Institute of Software Technology and Interactive Systems, at the Vienna Institute of Technology.

Patrizia

Humanitarian Impact

Dr. Patrizia Cecconi, 20 years of teaching experience, since 2000 focused her attention on the relation between men and environment. She is the emeritus president of the Italian friends of the Palestinian Red Crescent. She is now CEO of the Italian association Oltre il Mare

Tatiana

Legal Consultant

Avv. Tatiana Giovanetti is a lawyer and has her own studio in Viladossola

Gianpaolo

Accountant Italy

Gianpaolo Concari is a chartered accountant expert in non profit organization. He works in Italy and publishes articles for the magazine Vita and for the blog www.quinonprofit.it. Cooking and travels are his hobbies.

Francesca Nerattini

Scientific Divulgation team

MSc Francesca Nerattini has a master degree in Chemistry and is currently PhD student at the Computational Physics Department of the University of Vienna.

Chiara Cardelli

Scientific Divulgation Team

MSc Chiara Cardelli graduated with master in Chemistry at the University of Florence, and is currently PhD student in the Computational Physics Group of the University of Vienna.

Michela Ronti

Scientific Divulgation Team

Michela is a PhD Student at the University of Vienna, in the group of Computational Physics. Her research interests are in the field of soft condensed matter and self assembly. She graduated in Physics in Rome ‘Sapienza’ University.

Valentino Bianco

Scientific Divulgation Team, Water Sanitation consultant

I work as a post-doctoral researcher in Physics at the University of Vienna. My projects focus on physics and bio-physics of water and on the design of novel bio-polymer based materials. I am an hardened traveller, passionate chef and guitar player.

Massimo Privitera

Project Officer

Gaspare Urso

Communications

Gaspare is a professional Journalist. Since 2004 he covers the crime and politics sections for the newspaper “Giornale di Sicilia”. Since 2013 he is press agent at Fondazione Inda. He collaborates with Ansa and Agi and has been director of Mag magazine and of the on line portal “La grande testata

Morena Rizzo

Project Officer

She worked within the EU Projects Office at Roma Tre University supporting all 12 University Departments in accessing and managing EU and international funding for R&D, networking and development projects and as project manager and grants consultant for P.N.O Group, a pan-european consultancy, focused on EU and International funded research projects as well as on Technology Transfer actions.