Subscribe to Print Edition | Wed., July 02, 2008 Sivan 29, 5768 | | Israel Time: 01:25 (EST+7) web haaretz.com   Back to Homepage Rosner's Domain Diplomacy Defense Jewish World Opinion National Print Edition Car Rental Books Peres Conference Business Real Estate Easy Start Travel Week's End Anglo File

Applied Materials going solar By Avi Bar-Eli Tags: Israel Company negotiating with developer to install PV panels on roofs In one of the first fruits of the solar energy incentives that will come into effect today, the Israel branch of Applied Materials is in the advanced stages of negotiating an NIS 8.5 million deal with the Israeli firm Millenium Electric to install solar panels. The panels, which will produce 300-350 kilowatts of electricity per hour, will be installed on the rooftops of the company's three buildings, located at the Rehovot Science Park. The panels are expected to provide the company headquarter's electricity needs, with any surplus sold to the Israel Electric Corporation. Applied Materials is the world's largest manufacturer of equipment for the semiconductor industry, and its Israeli headquarters develop and produce quality control equipment for the world's largest semiconductor producers. In 2006 the firm began supplying equipment for photovoltaic (PV) systems, which generate electricity from solar rays. Advertisement Applied Materials Israel was established in 1997, and employs about 1,100 people, most of whom work at its research and development facility in Rehovot. In early 2008, Michael Splinter, the president of Applied Materials, announced during his visit to the President's Residence in Jerusalem that the Israeli subsidiary planned to switch to solar energy. The move follows a similar conversion at the company's offices in the U.S. and Austria. Applied Materials plans to institute the same change in its facilities in China, too. "Israel benefits from a unique combination of technological leadership and a climate that is very suited to the production of solar energy, and it can and should be a real leader in the field of energy production from renewable resources in general, and solar energy in particular," Splinter said following his meeting with President Shimon Peres. Millenium Electric has installed panels producing about 17 megawatts per hour all over the world. In Israel, the company has supplied panels to the Trans-Israel Highway, the Defense Ministry and the Klil settlement in the western Galilee. The state incentive plan aimed at encouraging the use of PV technology for private consumption will come into effect today. According to the plan, all excess electricity produced by private households and industry using PV panels may be sold to the IEC at NIS 2.01 per kilowatt, compared to NIS 0.48 for electricity sold to consumers by the Electric Corporation. The plan, promoted by Infrastructure Minister Benjamin Ben-Eliezer, was approved in early June by the Electricity Authority. It has generated huge interest in the PV panels in both residential and industrial sectors. Bookmark to del.icio.us   Death penalty Iran hands down death sentence to man who spied for Israel. Robot hospital The place where IDF treats droids wounded in the line of fire.

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