Northern Israel: Not a cloudless desert, but still fertile ground for solar power.
While southern Israel is the focus of the country’s most ambitious solar energy plans, including the Ashelim project and activity in the Eilot regional council, northern Israel is also drawing some attention: Gilatz Investments, an Israeli property developer, plans to begin constructing two photovoltaic (PV) power plants in northern Israel, the Bloomberg news service reported this week.
According to Bloomberg (which transliterates the public company’s Hebrew name as “Gelats”), two rooftop PV systems are planned with a capacity of 1.12 megawatts and 1.3 megawatts, respectively.
Spain, Italy – and now Israel
Gilatz, a public company traded on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, has already developed 15 megawatts of installed PV capacity in Spain in partnership with the Israel-based Shikun & Binui construction company, and it has purchased a number of solar parks in Italy. The project in northern Israel marks its first solar venture outside of Europe.
Bloomberg reports that construction is expected to start on the Israeli PV plants within several weeks, but that Gilatz would not divulge details about the cost of the project or the name of the local contractor it has partnered with for this project.
:: Bloomberg
Image via Marc Smith
Read more about solar power in Israel:
Dropouts Threaten Viability of Israel’s Ashelim Solar Tender
Israel’s First Solar Powered Wine
Israel’s Air Force Plans Solar Installations at All its Bases
Author: Ira Moskowitz
When his kids were small, Ira would point to litter on the ground and tell them: “That makes me angry!” He still gets angry about pollution, waste and abusive treatment of our world, but is encouraged by the growing awareness of environmental issues and has been following the latest developments in cleantech with great interest. Ira grew up in the green hills of western Massachusetts and moved to Israel in the early 1980s after completing an MA in Middle Eastern Studies. He has worked as a software developer and journalist, and translates works of Hebrew fiction and non-fiction to English. Ira is trying to age gracefully, but refuses to surrender his youthful belief in the potential for change, including a collaborative future for the peoples of the Middle East. To contact Ira, email ira (at) greenprophet (dot) com.
