Thinking heads from two countries are better than from one. French and Israeli scientists meet to discuss renewable energy.
A two-day Energies Renouvelables Colloque franco-israelien (or Israel-France Renewable Energy Conference) has been taking place this week in Tel Aviv, in order to bring scientists and developers from both nations together. Spread over November 10th and 11th, the participants at the conference have been discussing issues pertinent to the future of renewable energy, such as biofuels, photovoltaics, energy storage, and concentrated solar power.
The event was attended largely by academics, with nearly every educational institution in Israel represented. The various panels were chaired by professors from the Ben Gurion University of the Negev, the Institute of Technology in Haifa, Tel Aviv University, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Technion, and the Volcani Center.
Consisting of seven different sessions with at least three half hour expert presentations each, the conference appears to have been quite intensive. All the presenters were academics, either working for universities or laboratories.
The conference has been sponsored by a variety of institutions, including the Israeli Ministry of Science and Technology, the Weizmann Institute of Science, and the French Embassy in Israel.
While such conferences are undoubtedly valuable in the exchange of ideas that they promote, one tends to wonder whether the high environmental cost of flying in experts for a 2 day conference is fitting for a discussion of renewable energy. Of all man-made technologies and endeavors, air travel has one of the most negative impacts on the environment.
Image via: Ryan Mcdonald
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Author: Karen Chernick
Much to the disappointment of her Moroccan grandmother, Karen became a vegetarian at the age of seven because of a heartfelt respect for other forms of life. She also began her journey to understand her surroundings and her impact on the environment. She even starting an elementary school Ecology Club and an environmental newsletter in the 3rd grade. (The proceeds of the newsletter went to non-profit environmental organizations, of course.) She now studies in New York. Karen can be reached at karen (at) greenprophet (dot) com.
