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Israel

EDF Renewables Commissions 110 Megawatts Of Solar In Israel

by Joshua S Hill October 30, 2018

French renewable energy group EDF Renewables announced the commissioning of five separate solar PV facilities in Israel last week, worth a total of 110 megawatts (MW).

Pduyim solar farm

A world leader in renewable electricity, EDF Renewables announced the commissioning of five solar PV plants worth 110 MW last Wednesday, projects the company hopes will help it meet the objectives of parent company EDF Group’s CAP 2030 plan which aims to double its global renewable energy capacity between 2015 and 2050 by up to 50 gigawatts (GW).

The five solar plants commissioned in Israel include the 60 MW Mashabei Sadeh project, the 14 MW Pduyim project, the 13 MW Mefalsim project, the 7 MW Kfar Maimon project, and the 7 MW Bitha project. All are located in the Negev Desert in southern Israel and consist of approximately 307,400 solar panels spread across close to 130 hectares.

“The commissioning of these photovoltaic power plants reinforces EDF Renewables’ leading position in Israel, where we already have over 25% of the installed capacity from renewable energy sources,” said Bruno Bensasson, EDF Executive Vice-President in charge of Renewable Energies and Chief Executive Officer of EDF Renewables. “Through its CAP 2030 strategy in France and globally, EDF is delighted to contribute here to the fight against Climate change in Israel, with strong ambitions in solar, storage, and wind power.”

Four of the five solar PV facilities were won in a mid-2017 tender at the lowest-ever tariff awarded in Israel of €47 ($53) per MW-hour (MWh), while the fifth project, the 60 MW Mashabei Sadeh solar power plant, was acquired at the project stage in a separate deal in 2017. The five projects now bring EDF Renewables operating solar projects in Israel up to 17 worth nearly 300 MW.

EDF Renewables currently boasts 28 GW worth of installed renewable energy capacity and will look to increase that to over 50 GW by 2030 with a mixture of wind, solar, marine, and hydro electricity.

October 30, 2018 0 comment

CSP Energy Storage

50,000 Battery Packs To Help Power Israeli Thermal Solar Plant

by Jake Richardson October 7, 2015

written by Jake Richardson

50,000 lithium-ion rechargeable battery packs will be supplied by Tadiran Batteries to BrightSource’s 121 MW Shalim Thermal Solar Power Station in Israel. These batteries have been designed to last 25 years, even in harsh environments. Tadiran is a subsidiary of the better-known Saft Group.

BrightSource Energy, Alstom, and NOY Infrastructure & Energy Investment Fund are partners in the thermal solar station project. Oakland, CA–based BrightSource will be the provider of the concentrating solar power technology that some call a “solar power tower.”

Over 50,000 computer-controlled heliostats — which function like mirrors — will be combined with the tower that is over 200 meters tall to generate electricity. The Tadiran battery packs will be used to help manage these controllable mirrors, which track the sun on two axes. Using batteries instead of expensive cabling reduces the overall project cost.

This CSP plant will generate copious amounts of steam to turn turbines that generate electricity. It has been estimated that when the thermal solar plant is operational, it will generate enough electricity to power about 120,000 homes in the area. The construction site is the Negev desert, and up to 1,000 jobs will be created by the project.

Igal Carmi, President and CEO at Tadiran Batteries, explained, “We are proud to have been selected by BrightSource Energy to supply our state-of-the-art range of rechargeable lithium-ion battery systems for this innovative project. Awarded by a new client in a new sub-segment of energy harvesting, this order represents a significant commercial breakthrough for Tadiran and highlights the recognition by the industry for the excellence of its batteries.”

This project is exciting for a number of reasons. You can imagine how much sunlight is available in an Israeli desert, so it makes no sense not to utilize some of it. Secondly, battery technology is being used and this type of technology is beginning to emerge as a clean energy solution in a number of settings. Thirdly, the potential to provide electricity to well over 100,000 homes from one clean energy source is remarkable. Israel is also considered to be a technology leader, so it “makes sense” that clean energy technology would take root there.

Image Credit: Ein Avdat, Wiki Commons

October 7, 2015 1 comment

PV Solar Modules Solar PV Manufacturing

Yingli Lands Largest Order To Date In Israel & Middle East

by Zach March 22, 2014

written by Zach

Yingli Solar (aka Yingli Green Energy*), which is “the largest vertically integrated photovoltaic (‘PV’) module manufacturer in the world,” recently landed its largest order to date in Israel and the Middle East as a whole. The order is for just 27.5 MW of solar PV panels, which isn’t a ton but demonstrates that Yingli is getting its foot in the door of the young, high-potential Middle East market.

“The Company will supply its YGE 72 Cell NH Series modules to a solar power plant that will occupy more than one million square meters of land in Israel. Designated a National Infrastructure Project by the Israeli Government, the solar farm has been granted the conditional feed-in tariff approval from the Israeli Public Utilities Authority,” a press release about the news stated.

“This supply agreement builds upon our long-standing relationship with Ledico Ltd., our local distribution partner in Israel, and it also extends our presence and visibility throughout the region. We view Israel as an important and sustainable growth market with the potential to reach more than 340 MW of installed solar PV capacity in 2014. We are excited to continue supporting the region’s successful implementation of solar PV through this major supply agreement,” said Mr. Liansheng Miao, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Yingli Green Energy.

*Full disclosure: I own stock in Yingli Green Energy.

March 22, 2014 0 comment