UN: As world leader in solar energy, Israel must cut fossil fuel use
Israel sits at the bottom of the list in terms of producing solar electricity for its own use.
By Zafrir Rinat Tags: Israel newsPolitical criticism of Israel within the United Nations is nothing new, but the organization has opened a slightly more benevolent front: Cristophe Bouvier, regional director for Europe at the UN Environment Program, summoned an Israeli delegate to complain that although Israel is among the leading developers of solar energy technology, it hardly uses alternative energy sources itself, relying instead overwhelmingly on fossil fuels.
Israeli solar energy technology is a world leader in the industry. The Israeli company Solel was recently purchased by German conglomerate Siemens. The Environmental Protection Ministry will be showcasing solar technology as Israel's chief alternative to fossil fuels at the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen this week.
But Israel sits at the bottom of the list in terms of producing solar electricity for its own use. As Bouvier pointed out to Israeli diplomat Ronnie Adam, Israel is behind not only wealthy states like Italy, Austria and Switzerland, but states like Senegal and Eritrea. Bouvier told Adam that the United Nations would like to see much more solar electricity produced in Israel, and offered help.
Less than one percent of Israel's electricity is produced from renewable energy sources. Last year, the government decided to increase this to 10 percent over the course of a decade, adding 250-megawatt solar plants every year for the next ten years. Four sites have already been designated in the Negev and the Arava, but construction has yet to begin on even one of them; the very policy draft was only recently completed. The preparation of the draft raised a number of technical difficulties in implementing the plan, including the large territory needed for each plant, which would come at the expense of agricultural projects and cause inevitable environmental damage.
The breakthrough project within this plan is its largest plant, which is supposed to be constructed near Kibbutz Eshelim in the Negev. The plant would span a territory of 2,500 acres - 1,500 of which were contributed by the Israel Defense Forces at the expense of its training grounds. Environmental organizations have already approved the location, and the tender process has begun.
Despite considerable support from within the Finance Ministry, the plant has already run into some financial as well as administrative difficulties: construction costs are estimated at more than 1 billion Euros, and the license for operating the plant is yet to be drafted by the Public Utility authority.
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The solar plants in existence are such a sorry list! In Europe, Spain is by far tops with lots of plants, but a single one at 100 MW, all others 50 MW and less. All together less than 1000 MW. Contrary to Mr Bouvier there is nothing above a few MW in Eritrea and Senegal! If that. Now, all these numbers, compared to the 10,000 MW in use in Israel (and we are a small country!) represent a subject of absolutely no interest to me. We need ELECTRICITY, not UN's children's games (which cost a lot, occupy a lot of room, destroy the environment over large areas in a small country and deliver a pitance). On the other hand all my water is heated by solar energy, not electricity! A lot of Israelis have that.
1 acre is approx. 4000 square meters, the plant mentioned needs 2500 acres = 10 square kilometers, 10 plants = 100 square kilometers. You are not seriously suggesting that Israel is lagging behind African states because it has a problem in making available 100 sqkm out of 22.000. The Negev alone has 12.000 sqkm.
We already have very high pollution from all the cars in the centre of the country, the power stations only add to it and export our money out of the country (we don't have coal mines). The only way to do anything in this country is via external pressure or by being the army. Good call by the UN in this case (not always). Less fossil fuels and less pollution for all.
It seems to me the argument of insufficient land is a real non-starter. Israel has a fair amount of unusable (for other purposes) desert land where there is a great deal of wasted sunshine. Besides, from a strategic viewpoint, lessening Israel's dependence on imported fuel would be a major plus.
Israel is behind Senegal and Eritrea in solar energy? The availability of land is a big problem (cost is another), and that cannot be compared with the huge African countries, as following: Israel: area - 22,000 km sq. population - 7.5 million density - 357 people/sq km Senegal: area - 197,000 km sq population - 12.5 million density - 64 people/sq km Eritrea: area -117,000 km sq population - 5.7 million density - 43 people/ sq km Not to speak of all the dudim on top of Israeli houses...they don't make electricity, but they save it...big... This is how Israel is criticised in UN forums...
If the UN has a lot of money to hand out it is welcome in Israel. All the buildings in Israel have solar for their water heating. Where in the world does a whole country do this on its own long before the UN thought of it.
at this point the UN will blame Israel & the Jews for the coming of the winter...