Mam Rashan is now home to around 8.500 refugees who have fled the brutal unrests shaking the region of northern Iraq. The refugee camp’s structure provides them with the necessities: 1 800 living containers, two schools, a hospital and a trauma-center giving them access to education and health, all built on a donation basis.

Together with numerous partners, non-profit organization atmosfair is committed to provide improved living standards to the refugees living in Mam Rashan. The project is a photovoltaic plant financed by the German federal state of Baden-Württemberg through the foundation Stiftung Entwicklungs-Zusammenarbeit Baden-Württemberg. Additionally, several expert firms from the PV-industry support the initiative through services and know-how transfer on a donation basis. The PV-plant is to be commissioned end of June 2018.

Initiative Flüchtlingsdorf Ruhrgebiet

Zimmermann PV-Stahlbau GmbH & Co. KG

Enerparc Power Plants GmbH

greentech 

Meteocontrol GmbH

Brandhoff Obermüller Partner

Emons Logistik GmbH

BayWa r.e. renewable energy GmbH

Solarpraxis AG

Elin Inc.

 

„The support for this initiative through the PV-industry is truly remarkable. We are pleased by the fact that greentech supports the operation and maintenance of the PV-plant in the camp. Thus, we can provide the people in Mam Rashan with a stable and clean energy supply and at the same time build important technical knowledge in the region.”
– Nele Erdmann, Manager climate protection projects, atmosfair gGmbH

The main challenge lies in insuring the camp’s energy supply. Until now, the camp was only able to access the public network by the hour. A 300 kWp PV-plant with an energy storage solution, the first of its kind in this region, will allow the use of cooking, cooling and other electronic devices in daytime.

The construction of the plant is running full power. Training was provided to Internally Displaced People (IDPs) for the installation and maintenance of the plant. This allows to create jobs in the camp – even the construction manager is a refugee who had to flee his occupied hometown, Qaraqosh.

Additionally, the project includes awareness-training and sensitizing measures to encourage climate friendly behavior and decrease energy consumption in the camp. Two “Energy-Scouts” will be given the tools to inform the other refugees the complex themes of energy use, sustainability and environment protection.

The climate friendly energy generated not only offers the people a big relief in their daily lives but also benefits the environment, as no fossil fuels are needed for photovoltaic systems and they provide a  reliable, sustainable and long-term energy source. Future financial and material donations will allow an extension of the plant’s capacities, in order to attain a 100% energy supply on the long run.