Last Wednesday in Munich, Germany, Israeli solar energy company TIGI Ltd. was among the three winners in the solar-thermal category at the Intersolar Europe Exhibition, an annual forum promoting solar technologies since 1991.
Despite the fact that it is located in the Middle East, Israel is often included in Europe’s competitions and showcases, as with the annual Eurovision Song Contest and some regional sporting competitions.
TIGI won the Intersolar Europe award thanks to its “Honycomb Collector,” a new type of solar-thermal technology, pictured above, that increases the efficiency of the collector while minimizing heat loss.
According to the Israel Export Institute, this would make solar energy a sustainable resource even in less sunny climates, such as places in northern Europe.
It wasn’t too long ago that European nations were investing in Israel’s solar technologies while Israel itself lagged behind in terms of implementation. This was despite the fact that Israel’s location and climate has incredible potential for harvesting solar power. In 2012 the Israeli government has been working to close that gap, making huge investments in local solar energy.
The state has already met its projected quota for solar power production through 2020. This means in the near future Israel will have to increase government subsidies or increase its quota for solar power production if it wants to encourage domestic use of solar energy. A combination of those two options would also serve the desert nation well, perhaps even better than either option alone.
::Jpost
Read more about solar energy in Israel:
A Real Live Solar City Shines in Israel
Israel Embraces Solar As It Races Towards 2020 Clean Energy
Arava Drags Israel into Solar Century with 58.5 MW Project
Author: Leigh Cuen
Leigh Cuen is a freelance journalist currently reporting from Israel. She has written for the Earth Island Journal, the San Francisco Public Press, the Palestinian News Network, J. weekly newspaper and the Women News Network. Follow her @La__Cuen.
