ABSTRACT
This chapter considers energy as a way of supporting humanitarian aims in a protracted, primarily urban displacement crisis, focusing on the example of Jordan. Energy is one of the twelve sectors for which the Government of Jordan expressly asks donors and aid agencies for assistance, given the pressures that additional Syrian refugee population have put on utilities and the subsidy bill. This is not a traditional area for humanitarian relief organizations and approaches are evolving. Written by three shelter and energy specialists from the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) in Jordan, the chapter draws on the authors’ experience of solarizing 23 state schools in the Northern governorates, which have had to expand services like education to meet the needs of the new population. The authors make the case that better energy services for public buildings can bring mutual benefit for both national and refugee users. However, barriers to more effective implementation and scale up remain which include sustainability of maintenance, bureaucratic approvals processes, lack of data and lack of mechanisms for the reinvestment of electricity bill savings. NRC’s experience reveals the importance of working with local and national authorities, the private sector and other actors working in this space to help overcome challenges. The chapter concludes that as many humanitarian agencies already collaborate with and assist schools, clinics and community centres, clean energy interventions that can help increase the quality of service provision should be a consideration.
