[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8mXDsGiiu4[/youtube]
There has been a lot of hype around Zenith Solar lately in Israel, where they’ve publicly launched their new solar power technology in Kibbutz Yavne, not far from Tel Aviv. Some residents of the kibbutz are against the industrialization in their kibbutz, others see it as an important environmental contribution. See the video above.
For more about Zenith Solar, read the Green Prophet story Zenith Solar to dedicate first solar energy farm in Israel. Business Week has a good intro on the company written back in 2008.
I am told that Zenith Solar might be the most efficient Israeli solar energy technology out there (developed by Ben Gurion University’s Prof. David Faiman), but there are infrastructure barriers this company will have to overcome in order to be relevant.
Author: Karin Kloosterman
Karin Kloosterman is an award-winning journalist and publisher that founded Green Prophet to unite a prosperous Middle East. She shows through her work that positive, inspiring dialogue creates action that impacts people, business and planet. She has published in thought-leading newspapers and magazines globally, owns an IoT tech chip patent, and is part of teams that build world-changing products to make agriculture and our planet more sustainable. Reach out directly to [email protected]
When will Zenith Solar be selling units in America?
Thank you for the well written article and commentary. The ZenithSolar Z20 system is designed and now being tested to be certified to meet IEC standards for Solar Energy. ZenithSolar Z20 System does hook up to an inverter and a PPS (Battery System for community). The PPS allows us to harvest and collect electrical energy during the day and provide it to the community during peak and evening hours. This system has been developed to work with a large number of commercially available inverters, including the most popular units used in the USA and Europe.
Paul Linden
Global Procurement & Administration
ZenithSolar Ltd
[email protected], visit us at http://www.ZenithSolar.com
Hi. I read a few of your other posts and wanted to know if you would be interested in exchanging blogroll links?
SOLAR POWER MPPT DEVELOPED, THAT IS MAXIMUM PEAK POWER TRACKER WHICH IS MICROCONTROLLER BASED ( 6000 WATTS PEAK ) HAVING 98% EFFICIENCY
MAXIMUM VOLTAGE INPUT CAN BE UPTO 90 VOLTS AND INPUT CURRENT CAN BE UPTO 50 AMPERES
CAN CHARGE 12 VOLT OR 24 VOLT OR 48 VOLT BATTERIES AS REQUIRED.
THIS MPPT IS ONE OF THE BEST IN THE WORLD.
NOT YET LAUNCHED ON OUR WEBSITE.
[email protected]
Dear Davis Faiman – Zenith Solar
I´m very interested to introduce this technology to provide energy to my projects of houses and little urban complex in South America .
I`m architect and working to develope the use of solar energy in architectureand to use this technology in Argentina , Uruguay and Chile my works is like the work of an ant because must teaching the use of active and passive systems in the designs and to open the minds of some people to undestand the qualitys and advantages to use solar – photovoltaic cells to provide electricity and solar water heating systems for houses in remote regions of my country.
Many years ago I was living in ISRAEL in KIBBUTZ MEGGIDO and I have family and friends there so I´ll be very happy to receive your mail to allow to me starting here ( in ARGENTINA ) with this technology for my projects.
Best regards and do not hesitate to contact me.
sorry by my english.
Shalom ve Lehitrahot
Marcelo S. Herbst
Architect
Buenos Aires, Argentina
[email protected]
Connecting to the grid in Israel is one thing. What about connecting to the grid in the United States?
Don’t whitewash Karin. I agree.
But if you want to be in the field of reporting, you must have facts to back up general statements. And frankly, to connect a PV system to the grid is based on the inverter, and it is that simple. I have no idea what you could possibly be referring to when you say “compliance with international standards”. BrightSource and Solel are supplying utility scale solar thermal power stations. They will not have anything online for years. ZenithSolar is connected to the grid today at Yavne. BrightSource and Solel both have “deals” with PG&E and others to supply electricity at a specific price. if Brightsource says $0.09 per kWh and Solel says $0.10 per kWh, than Solel is in big trouble and BrightSource is a big winner. And visa versa. It is that sensitive of a market. Not to mention the land, environmental (ruining the desert ecosystems), transmission lines (which don’t exist), and many other HUGE challenges. So again, I’d love to see if you have any facts to back up zenith’s “compliance with international standards” – which are based on anonymous interviews – especially in comparison to BrightSource and Solel!
Dear Slingshot,
I have just finished writing a report on Israeli innovators in the solar tech area (not yet published), and according to experts that I interviewed, Zenith Solar may be the most efficient, but issues like compliance with international standards (hooking into the grid for example) may prevent the company from being as successful like BrightSource or Solel. It is not negative to say so. People come to Green Prophet because our writers are all working in the field of the environment. While we do write positive stories — see the past 2 on ZenithSolar –- we are not going to whitewash.
-Karin
What “infrastructure barriers” are you referring to? I have a feeling that you don’t know what you are talking about, but felt a need to say something negative. Do you have any knowledge / facts to back up your general negative conclusions?