Jordan's Azraq refugee camp, located in Northern Jordan, is officially the world's first clean energy refugee camp.
Syrian families living in the camp will now be able to light up their homes, charge their phones and keep their food refrigerated ... all with renewable energy thanks to a new two-megawatt solar photovoltaic plant.
The UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, switched on the camp's new solar plant on Wednesday - providing some 20,000 Syrian refugees with clean energy, all free of charge.
"Today marks a milestone," >said Kelly T. Clements, UNHCR Deputy High Commissioner.
"Lighting up the camp is not only a symbolic achievement; it provides a safer environment for all camp residents, opens up livelihoods opportunities, and gives children the chance to study after dark. Above all, it allows all residents of the camps to lead more dignified lives," she added.
The solar plant is connected to Jordan's national grid, and aims to be expanded by early next year in an effort to provide all 36,000 refugees currently residing in the camp with power.
The project was built at a cost of $9.6 million, and was funded entirely by IKEA's "Brighter Lives for Refugees" campaign.
It will result in direct energy savings that amount to $1.5 million annually. It will also result in 2,370 tons of CO2 emissions savings per year.
The Azraq solar grid is the first step towards a cleaner Jordan. The kingdom pledged to have 1,600 megawatts of solar and wind power by 2020.
A milestone indeed
"In Syria we were used to a particular lifestyle, and then we were disconnected from it when we became refugees," said Fatima, a 52-year-old single mother living in the camp, according to UNHCR.
"For someone who is used to having electricity, you cannot imagine how difficult it is to live without it," she added.
For nearly three years, residents in the camp had relied on portable solar lanterns to light their homes. Families had no means of refrigerating their food.
This new solar plant is definitely a step in the right direction.