Birzeit University, APIC sign solar power system MoU

Birzeit University, represented by its President Dr. Abdullatif Abuhijleh, and the Arab Palestinian Investment Company (APIC), represented by its Chairman and Chief Executive Tarek Omar Aggad, signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to install and operate a solar power system on top of the Omar Aggad Engineering Building, funded by APIC, on January 30, 2018.

The signing ceremony was attended by a number of executive officers from APIC and a group of administrators from Birzeit University. Per the agreement, the National Aluminum & Profile Company (NAPCO), a subsidiary of APIC, will position and operate a solar power system on the roof of the Omar Aggad Engineering Building on the university’s campus.

APIC is an investment holding company that has around 1650 employees spread across its nine subsidiaries. It is one of the founding contributors of the Palestine Power Generating Company, and a shareholder in the Bank of Palestine and the Palestine Electric Company (PEC).  

Aggad said that APIC’s support to establish a solar power system “is paralleled with global trends in sustainable energy production and use, in addition to providing alternatives to decrease energy-consumption costs through natural resources. It is important not only to utilize and benefit from sustainable energy, but also to invest in sustainable energy production within such an accelerated economic growth.

The project also fits neatly with Birzeit University’s future vision for creating a sustainable campus, which would improve the campus’ environmental sustainability and bolster the adoption of a clean, renewable energy culture. In addition to that, the university will be able to improve its ability to generate electricity for its sprawling campus and cut down on energy costs.

Birzeit University announces five APIC academic excellence scholarships

Dr. Abuhijleh noted that this project builds upon a cherished history of the Aggad family’s support for Birzeit University. “Sheikh Omar Aggad was one of the first supporters of Birzeit University. He financed the establishment of the Omar Aggad Faculty of Engineering in 1984, which measures 12,500 square meters in size, and comprises the Engineering Faculty departments, workshops, and labs, in addition to a number of colleges, at a cost of more than $6 million dollars.”

“The university,” added Dr. Abdullatif, “will award five scholarships for academic excellence in honor of the Aggad family’s continued tradition of support for Birzeit University.”