Aley – Aley District. Mount Lebanon, Lebanon

Aley is the fourth largest city in Lebanon, serving as the capital of the Aley District and located on Mount Lebanon, 15 km uphill from Beirut on the way to Damascus. The city is home to 20,000 residents, 15 schools, 2 universities, and 4 hospitals.

Mount Lebanon, with its scenic landscapes and bustling urban areas, faces significant challenges in road safety. The lack of adequate lighting along roads contributes to a concerning number of accidents, fatalities, and injuries. A study conducted by the National Council for Scientific Research in Lebanon (CNRS) identified Mount Lebanon among the national regions with an exceptionally high risk of traffic accidents. Moreover, Aley is ranked fourth among profiled disadvantaged areas in terms of critical defects in buildings connected to the public electrical grid, with percentages ranging from 3.4% to 56.4%.

In light of this, Wise employee Alaa El Bahri has proposed and designed the installation of solar lights along key roadways in Aley to mitigate the risks associated with low visibility, thereby reducing accidents, fatalities, and injuries, and save lives. Solar street lights offer a sustainable and cost-effective solution to address the lighting deficiencies in Mount Lebanon.

What NEF does in Aley

Thanks to NextEnergy Foundation’s funding, a total of 300 Solar Street Lights (“SSL”) will be installed along approximately 3.4 km of Aley’s main roads identified as the most in need by the Disaster Management Sector –“DMS”- of the Lebanese Red Cross. The implementation of solar street lights in Aley promises the following significant positive impacts, both environmentally and socially:

• Total annual reduction of 360 tons of CO₂ emissions per year (estimated based on the average CO₂ emissions produced by traditional street lights, which rely on electricity generated from fossil fuels)
• Independence from the grid, which is often unreliable due to frequent power outages and load shedding. This enhances safety and security for residents and lowers electricity costs for the municipality compared to traditional lights
• Substantial reduction in the number of accidents (the DMS expects a decrease in car accidents by up to 35%, based on data from similar projects in other regions)
• Increase in the sense of security and extension of hours of safe public spaces for approximately 15,000 people, including vulnerable groups such as the elderly, children, and women (DMS is documenting a 30% reduction in traffic accidents and a 25% reduction in street crime within the first year in similar interventions nearby Mount Lebanon). By extending the hours during which public spaces can be safely utilized, particularly during evening hours, environments that facilitate social interaction, recreational activities, and community gatherings will be created
• Implement outreach initiatives to educate the community about the benefits of solar street lights and promote active participation in the project. This will foster community ownership and support for the initiative.

In particular, after the installation of the SSLs, the following positive impacts will be assessed with the support of the DMS:

• Reduction in reported accidents or casualties in areas with installed solar lights.
• Surveys or feedback indicating increased perception of safety and well-being in illuminated areas.
• Energy savings achieved compared to traditional lighting methods.

The SSLs installation is expected by first half 2025.