Cutting-edge technologies in the clean energy sector are developing fast in Israel which has put its full effort into the area. A network of charging stations for EVs, tile generators that generate power from movement of vehicles on the road, etc are some examples.
Not yet in the top 10 list of innovators of green products, the government is now pushing for that entrepreneurial drive to be directed into environmentally clean technologies, not only as an economic opportunity but as a necessity for an arid, resource-poor nation. In 2006, there were about 120 clean-tech companies in Israel, and 120 more have been established each year since.
Israel, with a 8 million population, which now depends almost entirely for its energy on imported coal and natural gas, has set a goal to have 10 percent of its electricity generated by alternative means by 2020, says an AP report. The government approved a plan to spend $600 million over the next decade to reach that goal, with much of the money poured into encouraging green construction and development of new technologies.
Israel is starting to increase its solar energy sector. Recently, it dedicated its largest on-grid solar project - an $8.5 million collection of 40 solar panel systems that will supply 2 megawatts, enough to power about 500 homes. The government plans to issue bids for 10 more solar projects in the Negev Desert, with a total capacity of 60 megawatts.
The country is the birthplace of drip irrigation, a technology that promotes agriculture in arid areas. Israel recycles about three quarters of its waste water for agriculture, and for decades the roofs of its homes have been fitted with solar panels that provide hot water.
Israeli firm CellEra has joined the international race to develop viable fuel cells, a technology that so far has been too expensive for commercial use. It has built what it says is a working prototype of a hydrogen fuel cell that operates without using platinum, greatly reducing the cost. It is now aiming to develop a market-ready version.
Goes to show that size does not matter when aiming high.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment