| Ormat should look into setting up huge solar troughs in the Negev like those being built near Las Vegas. The troughs are parabolic when viewed in a cross-section and concentrate the desert sun onto synthetic oil at the bottom of the trough. The oil runs through several hundred meters of trough before going through a heat exchanger which creates steam to drive a turbine. The electricity from this could power desalination plants on the coast. For that matter, this electricity could be used to pull apart hydrogren from the oxygen in ocean water. The hydrogen could be used for fuel cells, the oxygen could be bottled and sold, and the remaining sea salts could be sold to organic grocery stores. Ironically, Israel could make up for decades of jokes about being in the Middle East yet not having any oil reserves. Israel could emerge as a literal powerhouse with an unlimited supply of water. Imagine how the desert could be made to bloom then! |
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