Energy poverty—the lack of access to reliable, affordable energy—remains a pressing and overlooked issue in unrecognized Bedouin villages of the Southern Negev. This research project aimed to raise awareness of the difficulties faced by Bedouin communities in unrecognized villages by measuring the solutions provided to face EP and assessing their benefits and limitations.
Interviews were conducted with a wide range of stakeholders from the region to understand what energy poverty means in this hyper-arid region, with a focus on Bedouin communities in off-grid villages. They also explored how innovative off-grid technologies (solar panels, biogas, atmospheric water generators, and Laguna systems) were reshaping the daily realities of residents and students at the Al-Furaa Regional School. Through a mixed-methods approach combining qualitative interviews with stakeholders alongside quantitative data from smart technologies, the project critically examined how these systems are integrated into everyday life, what challenges they face, and what they represent for the broader struggle for energy justice. The results show both the possibilities and limits of technological interventions in marginalized communities lacking state recognition or infrastructure. By focusing on community voices and lived experiences, the project highlighted the need for bottom-up, culturally appropriate, and sustainable energy solutions. It advocates for policy frameworks that move beyond temporary fixes, offering a visual and research-based contribution to the discourse on equitable development and environmental justice in Israel’s periphery.
Keywords: Energy poverty, off-grid solutions, Bedouin communities, environmental justice, unrecognized villages, infrastructure inequality, solar energy, community-based research
