Fatima Zahra, 21, walks to a small shop powered by solar panels to charge her phone every day. She pays US$1.40 each time—a steep price, but she has no choice.

Zahra has no electric power in the tent she lives in with her family in Tal Al-Hawa in the southwestern part of Gaza City. They fled there from their home in northern Gaza when Israeli airstrikes destroyed their home in the aftermath of October 7, 2023, when Palestinian militant group Hamas launched a coordinated attack on Israel, killing about 1,200 people and taking over 250 hostages.

Since then, Israel’s attacks have killed over 50,000 Palestinians and left millions of Gazans homeless and without electricity—a resource that was already limited before the war. Like Zahra, many Gazans walk to businesses with solar panels and pay a fee to charge their phones.

“Power is our second biggest need after food,” Zahra says. “From the first week of the war, we’ve had blackouts because of the destruction of homes, trees, and infrastructure.”

With fuel blocked and the electrical grid in ruins, solar power—once a growing source of energy in Gaza—was also devastated. Gazans tried to salvage and repair what they could, especially after a ceasefire was announced in January 2025 (before ending two months later). But as demand soars and equipment becomes scarce, solar energy is no longer just an alternative—it could be Gaza’s lifeline.

A solar boom in ruins

For decades, Gaza’s power supply has depended on Israel, and power has been in short supply. Before the war, Israel supplied about 120 megawatts (MW) of electricity, along with fuel for a Gazan power plan that generated 80 MW—far below the 500 MW needed. In 2017, at the Palestinian Authority’s request, Israel reduced supply due to political tensions between the West-Bank-based Palestinian Authority and Gaza’s Hamas government. Repeated fuel blockades worsened the crisis. Zahra’s family typically received electricity at their home for just four hours a day. 

Gazans turned to solar to help fill the gap. In the decade before the war, solar installations in Gaza surged—from just 12 in 2012 to 8,760 in 2019. Local donors and non-profit organizations in Gaza mobilized the community to plan and fund a solar energy project, providing a reliable and sustainable source of electricity. International donors funded solar energy for critical facilities like hospitals and water systems, in addition to helping households and businesses install solar panels. An analysis by the Center for Strategic and International Studies of satellite imagery from May 2022 found at least 655 rooftop solar systems in one square-mile sample of Gaza City, possibly the highest density in the world.

“Because Gaza has sunny weather for most of the year, solar power is the best solution,” says Mohammed Almashharawi, a Gaza-based electrical engineer. The region receives an average of 5.4 kWh/m² of solar radiation per day and, before the current war, many flat rooftops provided space for solar panels. Solar power also has the added benefit of reducing the severe pollution produced by diesel generators.

An analysis of satellite imagery found at least 655 rooftop solar systems in one square-mile sample, possibly the highest density in the world.

However, Israeli airstrikes have severely damaged Gaza’s solar infrastructure, worsening power shortages. Gaza’s energy authority estimates US$500 million in damage to energy infrastructure, with around 90% of solar panels affected. A satellite image analysis conducted by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) estimates that approximately 65% of solar panels across the Gaza Strip had been damaged by March 2024.

Almashhawari says the latest war has left Gaza’s power system in ruins. In past conflicts, some parts of the grid remained, but now entire neighbourhoods have been destroyed across the Gaza Strip, he explains. Rebuilding will require starting from scratch with new cables, poles, solar panels, and transformers.

Piecing the system back together

With no stable power supply, residents in Gaza are rebuilding their solar systems from damaged panels and parts, according to media reports. “Solar power is helping people survive until the main power grid can be restored,” says Almashharawi. “People urgently require electricity, and solar energy offers the fastest and most reliable solution.” 

Mohammed Almassri, an administrative manager, works with a company transporting solar power equipment from Egypt to Gaza. He told Asparagus that the future of Gaza’s power lies in solar energy. “The majority of people, government sectors, and organizations are planning to adopt solar systems,” he says. “Solar energy is more affordable and reliable, as it won’t be subject to the frequent power cuts we currently face. With the existing power grid disrupted, rebuilding from scratch is necessary, and solar power provides a sustainable solution.” 

Solar power is helping people survive until the main power grid can be restored.

Getting solar systems in place, however, is rife with challenges. According to Almassri, the Israeli army has blocked the entry of solar power equipment at the border, preventing wider access. Another challenge is installation—due to its dense population, rooftops tend to be the only available space for solar panels in Gaza, but a UN report indicates that 69% of Gaza’s buildings have been damaged or destroyed, including more than 245,000 homes.

Then there’s the cost. Almassri estimates that a family would typically pay between US$3,000 and US$5,000 for a solar system to run household appliances. Families with solar energy avoid paying around US$50 monthly for generator fuel, but many lack the funds to make the investment, he says. 

The fluctuations of the sun also pose a major challenge—solar power relies on sunlight, making it less effective in winter, says the engineer Almashharawi. He adds that hospitals and other critical facilities would still need electrical generators. Also, large-scale battery storage is difficult to obtain and costly, making it difficult to store excess solar energy for nighttime or cloudy days, he says.

Looking forward

Living in central Gaza, Almassri has been searching for ways to install solar power, salvaging broken panels and attempting to repair them. Many are too damaged to be restored, but he remains hopeful that with continued international support and a focus on sustainable solutions like solar energy, Gaza can begin to rebuild and create a more reliable and self-sufficient energy future.

For her part, Zahra explains that solar power would make her and her family’s lives better, but they can’t afford it. Solar panel prices have surged from US$210 to US$2,100 due to high demand in Gaza, according to Almassri. 

Zahra cooks with firewood, washes clothes by hand, and carries heavy buckets of water over long distances. “If we had electricity,” she says, “I wouldn’t have to do everything by hand—I could save my energy.”

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