General Framework
Photovoltaic activity in Israel continues to be concentrated mainly in academic research, with limited industrial involvement. The ubiquity of the electricity grid makes most applications non-cost effective,
except in unique situations.
About 440 kWp have been installed so far; 40 kWp were installed in 2000. Nearly all the applications are off-grid remote electrification systems. Most installations were made on an economic basis, the PV system being the most economically viable alternative (because of its distance from the electric grid).
The Israel Electric Corporation is required to purchase electricity from private producers, according to rules set by the Ministry of National Infrastructures. There are no promotion initiatives or subsidies for PV systems. However, there are indications that public perception of renewable energy is becoming increasingly positive. As a result, both the Government and the Israel Electric Corporation are studying net-metering schemes and revising regulations to enable power buy-back.
There are no special regulations relating to PV systems, although the Israel Electric Corporation has general guidelines relating to the quality of the electricity it purchases
[ Top ]
National Programme
No special plans are being considered by the Government for the near future. However, a number of actions are being taken to encourage the PV activity. Among them:
- Keeping the R&D excellence centres alive through selective Government support of projects. The R&D expenditures in photovoltaics of the Ministry of National Infrastructures were 225 000 USD in 2001; however, additional funding is available in this area from various research foundations.
- Supporting grid-connected demonstration projects by 30% of investment when it can be proven that this is enough to make the project cost-effective.
In the Nitzana youth village in the Negev desert, an educational project was started, called "Science Following the Sun". The project brings the message of solar energy, including photovoltaics, to hundreds of school children.
[ Top ]
Research and Development
More than fifty research teams are involved in photovoltaic R&D, most of them from academe, spread over most research areas (with no concentration of effort on particular subjects). Many of these teams cooperate with leading teams worldwide (both in academe and in industry).
Among the current R&D projects, a number are highly innovative and worth noting:
- The possibility of making thin-film solar cells from carbon, in its new form of buckminsterfullerene (C60), is being investigated at the National Solar Energy Center in Sde Boker;
- A team at the Jerusalem College of Technology is working on the development of solar cells for efficient conversion of highly concentrated radiation, whose strong point is simplicity of fabrication;
- A project underway at the Technion, Haifa, has the goal of achieving a new type of cheap and stable silicon cells. The cells are an admixture of micro-crystalline hydrogenated silicon and amorphpous hydrogenated silicon, optimized to absorb maximum light and to be as stable as crystalline silicon. The research is carried out in collaboration with German partners;
- Performance of various photovoltaic modules under desert conditions is being monitored at the National Solar Energy Center in Sde Boker.
[ Top ]
Implementation
A number of projects are underway, and the following are particularly worth mentioning:
- The Israel Electric Corporation has installed a 5 KWp grid-connected PV system on a house in Mitzpe Adi in the Galilee, at a total cost of 100 000 USD. When the system produces more electricity than is being used in the home, electricity can be added back into the power grid. Operation has been practically trouble-free for the last five years. Overall efficiency is about 10,3% (AC).
- At Kibbutz Samar in the Arava Valley (Negev Desert), the first 4.5 kWp of a planned 200 kWp project have been built. The system claims the lowest ever balance of system (BOS) for a grid-connected project. Computer simulations of system performance were run by the Ben Gurion National Solar Energy Center, based on ten years of hourly recorded data gathered five kilometers from the site.
- In a cooperation project within the EU 4th Framework Programme, the Israel Electric Corporation has built a reverse-osmosis (R.O.) desalination plant, powered by wind and PV generators. The purpose of the project is to investigate the energy balance of a renewable energy hybrid system connected to a battery bank. The PV array capacity is 3,5 kWp, and the desalination unit can provide 400 L/h. The system was erected in Kibbutz Ma'agan Michael (30 km south of Haifa), where a brackish water source is available. The unit will represent a fresh water source for a small and remote community, and the project concentrates on aspects such as meeting the community daily water needs, reliability and economics. Tel Aviv University is planning a 45 kW grid-connected system on the facade of a new building.
[ Top ]
Industry Status
A few firms are active in the PV field, and they deal mainly with system integration. Most companies are small, and are not exclusively dedicated to PV. Some of the local production of systems is exported.
Presently, there is no local production of PV cells nor inverters. Israel has the required technological infrastructure enabling it to produce all the components needed for integration in PV systems. However, due to economical considerations, components such as modules are imported. In spite of this, some unique Israeli PV systems have high added value related to the balance of system (in particular, control systems), and therefore, they have international market potential.
[ Top ]
Further reading about Israel
[ Top ]