Solar Streetlights in Middle Eastern Refugee Camps and Border Crossings: Off-Grid Lighting Standards and UNHCR Procurement Requirements Under the UN Aid Framework
Changsha Kototerk Tech Co, Ltd Rainer Chen
Jordan and Lebanon are the two countries in the Middle East hosting the largest numbers of refugees; in both nations, the ratio of refugees to the local population ranks among the highest globally. Jordan hosts approximately 650,000 registered Syrian refugees, though the actual number may exceed 1.3 million; Lebanon accommodates over 800,000 registered Syrian refugees, in addition to hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees.
The Za'atari Refugee Camp, a major Syrian refugee settlement in northern Jordan, has a resident population of approximately 80,000—making it a settlement comparable in scale to Jordan's fourth-largest city. Such large-scale refugee camps have evolved from temporary shelter facilities into de facto long-term residential communities, with infrastructure requirements—such as road lighting and energy supply—increasingly approaching the standards of ordinary urban communities. Off-grid solar streetlights have already been successfully deployed in Za'atari and several other refugee camps across Jordan.
I. Characteristics of Lighting Requirements in Refugee Camps
Lighting requirements in refugee camps differ fundamentally from those of urban road lighting; consequently, the underlying logic of these requirements must be re-evaluated through a humanitarian lens.
Prioritizing Safety Lighting: Extensive evidence indicates a direct correlation between incidents of sexual violence and harassment against women and children in refugee camps and inadequate nighttime lighting. Numerous assessment reports by the UNHCR and the IRC (International Rescue Committee) have documented significant changes in the incidence of safety-related incidents following improvements in lighting infrastructure. In the refugee camp environment, the safety value of lighting far outweighs its purely functional illumination purpose.
Energy Self-Sufficiency: Refugee camps typically lack access to a reliable municipal power grid, or the cost of grid electricity places an excessive strain on aid budgets. Off-grid solar lighting serves as an effective means of achieving energy self-sufficiency and reducing dependence on external energy sources. The solar energy project at the Za'atari Refugee Camp (advanced through a collaboration between the UNHCR and the Jordanian government) has successfully raised the camp's nighttime lighting coverage from less than 40% to over 85%, while simultaneously achieving a substantial reduction in the use of diesel generators. II. The Importance of Lighting Global Certification
Lighting Global is an off-grid lighting quality certification program jointly promoted by the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and the World Bank Group. It is specifically designed for solar lighting products sold and utilized in regions lacking access to a centralized electricity grid. This certification enjoys exceptionally high recognition within humanitarian procurement channels; major aid agencies—such as the UNHCR and UNICEF—prioritize Lighting Global certification, or even mandate it, when procuring solar lighting products.
Lighting Global certification testing covers five major categories: luminous flux, luminous efficacy, battery cycle life, durability (including water resistance, dust resistance, and drop resistance tests), and warranty compliance. This comprehensive testing ensures that a product's performance under actual operating conditions aligns with its stated specifications. For suppliers seeking to enter the humanitarian procurement market, Lighting Global certification represents the single most critical investment in product certification.
III. Lighting for Border Crossings in Jordan
The border crossings between Jordan and Syria experienced massive refugee flows during the Syrian conflict; following the relative stabilization of the situation, some of these crossings have resumed their functions as commercial cargo transit points. Lighting requirements at these border crossings possess distinct security imperatives: facilities operating 24 hours a day demand reliable, round-the-clock illumination, while the border regions themselves typically lack access to a stable mains electricity supply.
The northern and eastern border regions of Jordan feature a relatively arid climate, with an average annual peak daily sunshine duration of approximately 5 to 5.5 hours, indicating favorable conditions for solar energy utilization. During the winter months (December through February), temperatures can drop to near-freezing levels; furthermore, certain mountainous border crossings may experience snowfall, necessitating the inclusion of low-temperature battery performance as a critical design consideration.
IV. The Unique Context of the Lebanese Market
The situation in Lebanon is particularly complex. Since 2019, the country has been mired in a severe economic crisis. The catastrophic explosion at the Port of Beirut in 2020 further devastated a significant portion of the nation's infrastructure; coupled with the strain on resources imposed by a large refugee population, Lebanon's infrastructure now teeters on the brink of total collapse. Nationwide power outages lasting in excess of 20 hours daily have become the norm; consequently, for Lebanon, off-grid solar lighting is not merely an optional alternative—it has become virtually the only viable solution for meeting the country's illumination needs. Lebanon's procurement market is highly fragmented, with international aid agencies, local NGOs, municipalities, and private developers all independently procuring solar streetlights in the absence of unified procurement standards or certification requirements. Product reliability and local service capabilities serve as the primary criteria for vendor selection, while the completeness of certification documentation is considered slightly less critical compared to the GCC market.
Post time:Mar - 24 - 2026
