Solar energy projects for developing countries in Africa and the Middle East MENA Region have often been put on the backburner due to financial considerations as well as lack of attention by local government bodies. Whether it has involved sophisticated solar “farms” or small solar devices for barefoot Bedouin women, more attention is being focused […]
Sol Chip’s technology will allow small devices to run indefinitely without replacing and disposing of those silly lithium batteries. A tale of two wafers: Both begin as 99.9999999 percent pure silicon, one of the basic ingredients in desert sand. A furnace melts the silicon and controls the cooling and growing of a mono-crystalline cylindrical ingot which is […]
The World Wildlife Fund and the Cleantech Group recently published a report saying that Israel is the second best place in the world to develop green technologies, second only to Denmark. Israel has long been a major exporter of such innovations, a leading developer of water-saving technology, such as its agricultural inventions, and solar power. Now Israel is starting to […]
Sweat and Sahara sand had forced my eyes closed so that, even as I stood in front of one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, I saw nothing. My eyelids were a back-lit sandy-orange in the sun’s glare. I pried them open and squinted up at the shapes the pharaohs and their slaves had […]
A solar plant, which is the sole source of electricity for a village in Hebron, has received demolition orders from the Israeli Civil Administration Mneizel is a Palestinian village located in Hebron in the West Bank. In 2009, the 400 residents living there were lucky enough to be the recipients of a project funded by […]
Beep beep! This solar powered taxi intends to tour the globe on zero gas and a full tank of sunshine. Swiss inventor Louis Palmer‘s solar powered taxi will be rolling into Israel next week, after having traveled to over 40 countries and through 60,000 kilometers already. Without a single drop of standard fuel. Powered by […]
Solar energy is predicted to be important energy source in USA by 2031 The just completed Solar Power International Conference and Exhibition in Dallas Texas painted a bright future for the use of solar energy in the USA, according to Julia Hamm, President and CEO of the Solar Electric Power Association (SEPA). Hamm, who addressed […]
Louis Palmer’s Solar Taxi went around the world in 2007 Swiss inventor Louis Palmer had what many referred to as an impossible dream when he said that one day, many of the world’s cars would not only be electric but powered by the sun as well. Palmer’s dreams are now on their way to becoming […]
Free webinar helps you understand how to secure government interest, manufacture locally, and export to Europe in order to keep your solar project rolling. It has long been established that the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) have enough solar energy to power the world. Trouble is, how do we get projects off the ground […]
Free electricity from lightning? Nikola Tesla thought so. Even though I grew up in America, where many of this man’s inventions were brainstormed, I must admit I never heard of Nikola Tesla until now. This man, born in Serbia in 1856, and who later immigrated to the USA in 1884, may have been the world’s […]
Arizona solar energy “modules” may work well in the Middle East The American state of Arizona has much in common with many parts of the Middle East; especially with the same number of days of available sunlight for generating solar energy. A more practical way to make solar energy available to the general public has […]
Even though the Jewish New Year was a few months ago, and the Muslim New Year the first week of December, SolarEdge, the Israeli solar tech company that creates solar harvesting solutions has created a new video for the west –– a lip dub from RIO’s song “Shine On.” For the New Year. It’s cute, fun and […]
Planning is in full swing for ecoQ, an international environmental protection expo taking place in Qatar in September 2011. (From left to right: Haitham Shehab, Dr. Saif Al Hajari, and a member of the ecoQ team) Next September, the Qatar International Environment Protection Expo (ecoQ for short) will be presenting an international showcase of eco-friendly […]
The Palestinian electric car isn’t much to look at, and it couldn’t carry a large Arab family, but it is solar powered! Just when we all thought Shai Agassi’s Better Place electric car company had the electric car technology field sewed up in this part of the world, some university students in the Palestinian West […]
Will a thermal solar power plant like this one provide power for the IAF? Israel’s second largest military branch, the Israeli Air Force (IAF) is planning to use solar energy to provide electricity for its air bases and other installations, according to an article published today in Globes financial newspaper. The plan, in which tenders […]
Israeli startup SolarEdge partners with NASDAQ-traded Flextronics (FLEX) to ramp up solar energy harvesting systems. Solar energy projects in Israel’s northern sectors are sure to get a boost from a signed agreement between SolarEdge Technologies Ltd and Flextronics Inc to produce systems for improving the efficiency of photovoltaic panels at Flextronics’ plant in Migdal Ha’Emek […]
A free and universally accessible five-session “webinar” on Concentrated Solar Thermal Power (CSTP) technology is being offered by Seville University and will be taught by Manuel Silva (one of the “fathers” of CSTP in Spain). Manuel Silva is a PhD Industrial Engineer with 24 years of engineering experience, together with 10 years as Associate Professor […]
Israeli solar energy innovator Sunday Energy has been chosen to construct a solar energy panel array in a section of the country’s Negev desert region, according to an article in Globes financial news. The 5 mw installation will be constructed together with Moshav Yad Natan in a 120 dunam (42.5 acre) area where the land […]
The sunny MENA (Middle East- North Africa) region and its associated countries could solar power the world, Maurice reports. This map-maker left out Israel. Middle Eastern and North African countries, often referred to under the umbrella term MENA countries, have the potential to create more than 3 times the world’s power needs, according to a […]
This past weekend I traveled to historic Madaba, Jordan at the first Middle East Green Bloggers Conference. Among this inspiring collection of environmental writers, professionals, and activists, I’ve just met a trio of Jordanian young innovators bringing a special variety of “thin film” technology to the Middle East. Zein Nsheiwat, Sawsan Issa, and Osama Suliman […]
Lebanon’s Energy Ministry plans to work with the UN’s regional development project, UNDP to use solar energy for both heating and energy in various parts of the country, reports the UPI. The UN agency currently has at least 25 development projects ongoing in Lebanon, with at least two of them involving solar energy. We’ve already […]
The prospects of solar energy are heating up in Palestine. Rachel reports on a new solar thermal plant at Beit Jala school. The Talitha Kumi school in Beit Jala, Palestine just became home to Palestine’s first solar thermal plant for warm water supply and central heating, Green Prophet learns. The 200 square-meter plant, which went […]
The SEIA: Will their Solar Bill of Rights become reality? Could it work in the Middle East? Solar energy as one of the world’s best alternative energy sources is already an important discussion topic during the ongoing COP 15 conference in Copenhagen. One group in particular, the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) is pushing the […]
Masdar starts testing feasibility of solar energy at eco city. Will Abu Dhabi’s dust let the sunshine in? Abu Dhabi’s Future Energy Company, Masdar, and Spain’s Instituto De Sistemas Fotovoltaicos de Concentracion S.A. (ISFOC) have signed an agreement to conduct a test and study concentrated photovoltaic (CPV) technologies in the Emirate’s unique subtropical climate. Although blessed […]
PG&E says it will more than a billion in alternative energy projects. California’s mega utility company, Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) is keen on using solar and wind energy to provide electric power for America’s most populous state. Despite a number of objections by both environmentalists (who say wind farms are dangerous to birds and […]
