An Israeli start-up is supplying anaerobic digesters that residents of off-grid Palestinian villages can use to turn manure and leftover food into methane for cooking and lighting.

“HomeBioGas has invented this simple digester that can easily be assembled and transported,” said Palestinian engineer Amer Rabayah, who coordinates system installations. The village of al-Awja in the Jordan Valley got 40 digesters under a pilot project that received €500,000 from the European Union, with the Peres Center for Peace facilitating Israeli-Palestinian cooperation.

HomeBioGas says 2.7 billion people around the world have no access to clean energy or waste disposal, and 4.3 million per year die from inhaling smoke from indoor open fires. “This system will be available to everyone who needs it in the developing world,” CEO Oshik Efrati told Reuters. “It will eliminate waste, it makes clean gas, and there is no need to breathe in any smoke.”