On December 2nd 2009, the first solar thermal plant for warm water supply and central heating on Palestinian territory has gone into operation near Beit Jala. The solar plant has been realized by MAN Ferrostaal AG and the Deutsche Energie Agentur GmbH the German Energy Agency within the framework of the Dena Solar Roofs Program for Foreign Market Development with support of the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology.

The solar plant has a total collector surface of over 200 square meters and was a donation made by MAN Ferrostaal to a Palestinian school with an excellent regional reputation for its multi religious pupil body and the equal opportunity education of girls and boys.

In the past, high utility costs of about 80,000 EUR per year have put a great burden on the budget of the institution, which relies on financial contributions. The utility expenses will now be decreased by the new solar plant to a large extent. About 21,000 liters of diesel fuel, which were required before, are about to be saved. This lowers CO2 emissions by 57,000 kilograms every year, roughly equal to the emissions of 24 middle class passenger cars with an annual mileage of 15,000 kilometers each.

With the donation, MAN Ferrostaal is presenting its solar power business in a social context in the Middle East. The construction of large scale industrial solar thermal power plants belongs to the core businesses of the company. The plant in Palestine is meant to symbolically serve as a demonstration and encourage further solar projects in the region. Aside from the immediate support for the school, the project underlines the industrial potentials for solar energy generation in the whole MENA region.