DOE awards grants to HelioFocus, Tigo Energy, TransBiodiesel and Motorola Israel for U.S.-Israel energy projects

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced the award of $3.3 million in grants for four U.S.-Israel cooperative clean energy projects. The projects were selected by the BIRD Foundation and will be funded by the DOE and Israel's Ministry of National Infrastructures.

The four projects will leverage private sector cost-share for a total project value of $11.6 million:

HelioFocus Ltd., based in Ness Ziona, Israel and Capstone Turbine Corporation, based in Chatsworth, California have been selected for an award of up to $800,000. HelioFocus and Capstone Turbine will develop and commercialize a micro-turbine to produce electric power from concentrated solar energy. This project includes $2.1 million in private sector cost-share. IC Green Energy invested in HelioFocus last year, and this blog reported on HelioFocus' cooperation with Capstone Turbine back in August 2008.

Motorola Israel Ltd., based in Tel Aviv, Israel and SmartSynch, Inc., based in Jackson, Mississippi have been selected for an award of up to $900,000. Motorola Israel and SmartSynch will collaborate in the development and commercialization of a platform to enable implementation of a Smart Grid energy management system. This project will integrate Home Area Network and Smart Grid network management software applications to give utilities greater control while allowing end-users the ability to monitor and control consumption. This project includes $2.8 million in private sector cost-share.

Tigo Energy, based in Kfar Saba, Israel and U.S. Architectural Glass and Aluminum Co., Inc., based in Alameda, California have been selected for an award of up to $900,000. This project will support the development and integration of a complete Building Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV) system. The partnership will seek to overcome the cost, standardization, generation performance, visibility, and safety challenges that currently hinder large scale adoption of BIPV. This project includes $2.3 million in private sector cost-share. Earlier this year, Tigo Energy announced a $10 million Series B financing from Israel Cleantech Ventures, Matrix Partners, OVP and Clal Energy.

TransBiodiesel Ltd., based in Shfar-Am, Israel and The Purolite Company, based in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania have been selected for an award of up to $700,000. This project seeks to design a biocatalyst comprised of methanol-resistant lipase immobilized on a cost-effective resin for the production of biodiesel at commercial scales. Lipase biocatalysts offer significant advantages over traditional catalysts used for biodiesel production including lifecycle efficiency gains and consistent product quality, but are currently high-cost and suffer from short operation life-time as they are degraded during the biodiesel production process. This project includes $1.2 million in private sector cost-share. This is TransBiodiesel's second BIRD Foundation grant -- in 2008, it was awarded a grant to partner with Rohm & Hass on biodiesel production.

The projects are expected to begin in 2010.

The BIRD Foundation promotes cooperation between Israeli and U.S. companies in various technology areas and assists in identifying strategic partners in both countries, in order to develop and commercialize novel technologies and products.

The BIRD Foundation supports projects without receiving any rights in the participating companies or in the project itself. The financial assistance is repaid as royalties from sales. The Foundation provides support of up to 50% of a project's budget, beginning with R&D and ending with the initial stages of sales and marketing. The Foundation shares the risk and does not demand that the investment be repaid if the project fails to reach the sales stage.

The BIRD Energy program is the result of the U.S.-Israel Energy Cooperation Act, which was enacted in December 2007 and formally launched at the Eilat-Eilot Energy Conference in February 2009.

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Ashalim solar thermal tender delayed again

The tender for the solar thermal power project at Ashalim, Israel has suffered its third delay, because not all the regulatory permits have been obtained, the electricity production license has not yet been written, and the financial aid criteria for the winner have been formulated, according a report in Globes.

Globes reports that the deadline for submitting bids to the joint Ministry of Finance and Ministry of National Infrastructures tender committee, headed by Deputy Accountant General Avi Dor, has been pushed back from October 21, 2009 to December 10, 2009 .

The Ministries of Finance and National Infrastructures have allowed the seven bidders who passed the prequalification stage of the tender more time to prepare their bids.

The $700-800 million build-operate-transfer (BOT) tender is for construction and operation of two solar thermal power plants with a total output of 220 Megawatts.

The seven consortia participating in the Ashalim tender are:

• Shikun u'Binui Holdings Ltd. (Housing and Construction), Solel Solar Systems Ltd., and Bateman Engineering NV;
• Dor Alon Energy in Israel (1988) Ltd., Minrav Holdings Ltd., Germany's Solar Millennium AG, and France's Alstom SA;
• IDB Holding Corp. Ltd. unit Clal Energy Ltd. and Spain's Abengoa SA;
• BrightSource Energy Inc., Veolia Environnement SA, Dalkia Israel Ltd., and Solar Power Inc. of the US;
• Shafir Civil and Marine Engineering Ltd. and France's EDF Energy SA;
• Ormat Industries Ltd. and Germany's Bosch Solar Energy AG;
• Israel Corporation subsidiary IC Green Energy Ltd. (ICG) and Canada's SkyPower Corporation

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Solel awarded $2.6 million grant from Spanish Government for solar thermal manufacturing facility

Solel Solar Systems, Ltd. recently announced it has received a $2.6 million grant from the Ministry of Innovation, Science and Enterprise of the Andalusian Region of Spain to be used for the construction and development of a facility to build solar thermal fields components. The facility, in La Carolina, Spain, will be Solel's first manufacturing plant in Spain, and will include lines for the production of parabolic reflectors, metal supports for solar collectors, and other essential components used for conversion of sunlight to electricity.

The construction of the plant in La Carolina is expected to be completed in 2012, with some manufacturing lines becoming operational later this year. Total investment by Solel in manufacturing plants in Spain is expected to reach $140 million, and it will employ 300 workers in La Carolina by 2012.

Solel commenced operations in Spain in 2006 and supplies technology to 15 solar thermal power plants, with a combined capacity of 750 MW. In addition to being a technology provider, Solel has joined with Sacyr Vallehermoso, a leading Spanish construction company, in a joint venture to build three power plants with a total capacity of 150 MW. The first of these plants, the 50 MW Lebrija 1 facility, will begin operations in 2010.

"We are grateful to the governments of Andalusia and of Spain for the confidence they have shown us and their commitment to both technological advancement and renewable energy," said Avi Brenmiller, President and CEO of Solel. "Through their policies, Spanish governments are encouraging the development of new sources of energy, and contribute to the creation of new workplaces in Spain. Our new facility will deliver Solel's state-of-the-art equipment and technology that reduce the cost of producing solar energy".

Solel is currently building three solar power plants in Andalusia, Spain, and its American subsidiary, Solel, Inc., is developing the 553 MW Mojave Solar Park in California. Nine power plants in California using Solel's technology have been operating successfully for over twenty years, producing 350 MW of electricity and eliminating the need for two million barrels of oil annually.

Solel employs about 500 workers, with its headquarters, manufacturing plant and R&D center in Beit Shemesh, Israel.

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Better Place applauds Hawaii's electric car legislation

Hawai'i will require large parking lots to reserve spaces for electric cars and to provide recharging capacity if a bill passed by the state's Legislature is signed into law.

The measure would take Hawai'i one step closer to developing a viable electric-vehicle market, supporters say.

"We think it's a great step forward for Hawai'i," said Pete Cooper, spokesman for Better Place Hawaii, which is seeking to create a $1 billion statewide charging network for such cars.

The Legislature gave Better Place's initiative a boost this week when it approved a bill authorizing the issuance of up to $45 million in special-purpose revenue bonds for the company's planned network.

Better Place signed an agreement with Hawaiian Electric Co. in December 2008 to make such service possible as early as 2011, and the initiative has the backing of Gov. Linda Lingle. Better Place told legislators it wants to develop a system to support more than 10,000 electric vehicles in Hawai'i by 2014, according to a report in the Honolulu Advertiser.

Better Place has raised more than $300 million and is partnering with utilities and governments to install its electric vehicle infrastructure in Israel, Denmark, Australia, Portugal, Ontario, Hawaii, and the San Francisco Bay Area. Headquartered in Palo Alto, California, Better Place's primary R&D center is in Israel. Shai Agassi, Better Place's Founder and CEO, was named to the Time 100 in April 2009.

The electric-vehicle bill was among a handful of adopted measures that environmentalists applauded yesterday as the Legislature wrapped up its session.

One bill would increase the tax on a barrel of oil by $1 to help the state explore alternative energy and protect local agriculture. Another bill would require public utilities to produce 25 percent of electricity from renewable energy sources by 2020 and 40 percent by 2040.

The electric-vehicle bill would require that any parking lot with at least 100 public stalls be required to set aside 1 percent of the total spaces for electric cars by Dec. 31, 2011. The requirement would increase to 2 percent when at least 5,000 electric vehicles are registered in the state.

The bill also mandates that at least one recharging mechanism be made available in the parking lot.

The bills now go to Gov. Lingle for her review.

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Israeli Environmental Protection Minister Erdan calls for freeze on planned coal-fired power plant

Israel's new Environmental Protection Minister, Gilad Erdan, has issued a detailed objection to the planned coal-fired power plant in Ashkelon.

Born and raised in Ashkelon, Erdan has long been a vocal opponent of Israel Electric Corp.'s plans to build two additional coal-fired units at the Rutenberg Power Station. Erdan asked the interim cabinet secretary to freeze plans for the new units and called for an updated plan for the energy marke that takes into account the recent discovery of natural gas off Israel's coast, the global economic crisis, and international climate change agreements.

Erdan listed eight reasons why another coal-fired power plant was unnecessary:

The discovery of large deposits of natural gas at the Tamar site, off Haifa, and the Dalit site, off Hadera, necessitated a reappraisal of the situation;

The financial crisis has already led to a 10 percent decrease in electricity use and momentum could be used to activate the national conservation campaign to reduce use by 20%;

The emergency plan put in place by the National Infrastructures Ministry last year had passed through planning committees faster than expected, thus putting more megawatts based on natural gas at the availability of the IEC;

Erdan urged upgrading and "re-powering" existing plants to produce more electricity rather than building new ones;

He urged the country to adopt energy streamlining measures such as those being advocated worldwide;

Even if a coal-fired plant needed to be built at some point, it should be built at a later date, after technological improvements made operation cleaner;

Noting that European countries had set renewable energy goals of 20% by 2020, Erdan called for Israel to do the same;

Finally, Erdan argued that it was counterproductive to build a highly polluting power plant when Israel would most likely have to abide by the post-Kyoto Protocol to reduce greenhouse gas emissions set to go into effect in 2012.

Better Place and Haifa cooperate on electric car infrastructure

Every new building to be built in Haifa, Israel's third largest city, must include infrastructure compatible with charge spots for electric cars, according to a memorandum of understanding between Better Place and the Municipality of Haifa.

The document was signed by Haifa Mayor Yona Yahav and Better Place Israel CEO Moshe Kaplinsky, according to a March report by Israeli newspaper Yediot Ahranot.


According to the agreement, Haifa will also conduct a three-year pilot study to examine the feasibility of using electric cars and will allow Better Place to build exchange stations and charge spots throughout the city.

"Local authorities' heads are showing much interest in taking part in the electric car project in order to improve the quality of life of their residents," Kaplinsky said last month.

"Mayors understand the need to prepare for the coming of the electric car and to lay out an infrastructure that will, for the first time, allow fast, convenient and available charging. Better Place has already set up 400 charging stations in various cities."

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Israeli water technology exports double in 2008

The Israel Export and International Cooperation Institute reports that water technology exports totaled $1.4 billion in 2008 - double the 2005 amount. The global water market is worth $400 billion annually and is expected to rise to $537 billion next year.

To mark World Water Day, the Export Institute published figures about the country's water technologies industry. There are 250 companies in the sector of which 200 export their products. 50 companies in the sector are defined as start-ups.

These companies are involved in sectors including water management systems, safety and security for water sources, irrigation management systems, desalination, water recycling and purification.

Israel is ranked first in the world in recycling water for agriculture: 75% of sewage is recycled for agriculture.

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U.S.-Israel Energy Cooperation Act launches at Eilat Energy Conference

The Unites States – Israel Energy Cooperation Act, an international collaboration aimed at developing renewable energy technologies to reduce the world's oil dependence, officially launched during the recent Eilat-Eilot International Renewable Energy Conference.

The Cooperation Act, which will fund eligible joint ventures between U.S. and Israeli businesses, has already allocated $2 million for 2009 ($1 million from each country), with a significant increase expected in future years. The grant program is targeted at biofuel, solar thermal, and electric vehicle technologies.

"Israel is well-known in the world as a technology innovator. The concentration of scientific innovation in the country is impressive," said Jonathan Shrier, Assistant Secretary, Office of Policy and International Affairs, U.S. Department of Energy. "This cooperation between the United States and Israel is unique in that we have a partner who brings a lot to the table."

Two projects, run by Seambiotic and Better Place, have already received approval.

Seambiotic is developing technology to utilize flue gas from coal burning power stations for algae cultivation. The company aims to grow and process marine microalgae using an ecologically-based environmental system to reduce air pollution and global warming.

Better Place is a venture-backed company aiming to reduce global dependency on oil through the creation of nationwide electric vehicle networks.

The U.S. Department of Energy and Israel's Ministry of National Infrastructures have agreed that a researcher exchange and conference circuit are two important elements of their collaboration. Two conferences in the U.S. and two in Israel will take place annually. The annual conference in Sde Boker, Israel, will focus on the technological advancements in the Renewable Energy industry while the annual Eilat-Eilot conference will serve as a platform for industry-ready technologies to exhibit and market their offerings. In addition, researchers from Israel will spend significant time working in the U.S. market, while researchers from the U.S. will do the same in Israel.

Other announcements made at the Eilat Energy Conference include the launch of the Timna Renewable Energy Park, the centerpiece of the Eilat-Eilot region's efforts to turn Southern Israel into the "Silicon Valley" of renewable energy, and the AORA solar thermal plant in Kibbutz Samar, the world's first commercial hybrid solar gas-turbine power plant.

"The developments presented at the Eilat-Eilot Conference demonstrate the region's leadership in the renewable energy industry," Said Shlomo Wald, Chief Scientist, Ministry of National Infrastructures. "We are taking action to find sustainable solutions to Israel’s and the world's energy crisis, and we hope others see Israel as a major contributor."

For perspectives on the Eilat Energy Conference, check out these blog posts by Gil Dibner, Principal at Genesis Partners, and Rabbi Julian Sinclair of the Jewish Climate Initiative.

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AqWise wins EU Eureka grant to develop wastewater treatment system

AqWise, a Herzliya, Israel-based wastewater treatment company, has won a €2 million grant from the European Union Eureka R&D program.

The funds, to be shared with AqWise's Dutch partners Agriton B.V., Westt, Aquaexplorer, and Noordelijke Hogeschool Leeuwarden, will be used to develop a combined anaerobic and aerobic reactor system for treating wastewater

AqWise will develop a dynamic anaerobic aerobic reactor ("DANA") that will allow the integration of anaerobic and aerobic processes in one vertical configuration. Under the terms of the agreement, Aqwise will develop the system and its Dutch partners will integrate it.

The system is designed to help sewage treatment companies reduce the number of treatment tanks in a wastewater treatment plant.

Details of the grant are available here on the Eureka web site.

AqWise was founded by Eytan Levy and Ronen Shechter, now the CEO and CTO, respectively, of microbial fuel cell startup Emefcy.

Aqwise's investors include Israel Cleantech Ventures, Elron Electronic Industries Ltd., and Mexico-based steel company (and AqWise customer) AHMSA.

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Israel sets feed-in tariff for wind power

The Public Utilities Authority (Electricity) has announced the details of a feed-in tariff for small wind turbines, similar to the solar photovoltaic feed-in tariff established in 2008. Consumers will now be able to generate their own electricity using wind turbines and sell the surplus back to the national grid.

The maximum output of a domestic wind turbine will be set at 15 kilowatts, and the maximum output of a commercial and industrial user's wind turbines will be set at 50 kilowatts.

The Public Utilities Authority has established two rates for wind-generated electricity: NIS 1.60 per kilowatt/hour for small turbines up to 10 kilowatts of output, and NIS 1.25 per kilowatt/hour for small turbines of 10-50 kilowatts of output. These rates will be reduced by 2% a year.

The Public Utilities Authority set two rates for wind-generated electricity: NIS 1.60 (~$0.40) per kilowatt/hour for small turbines up to 10 kilowatts of output, and NIS 1.25 (~$0.30) per kilowatt/hour for small turbines of 10-50 kilowatts of output. These rates will be reduced by 2% a year. The total quota is 30 megawatts through 2016.

By comparison, the solar PV feed-in tariff is NIS 2.01 per kilowatt/hour with a quota of 50 megawatts through 2015.

This is good news for companies like SOVNA (formerly ALT E), which is currently setting up "urban wind farms" in Tel Aviv. It may also provide a domestic market for innovative small wind turbine companies such as Technospin, Coriolis Wind, Leviathan Energy, and Variable Wind Solutions.

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BrightSource looks to Obama stimulus for relief, may have to delay construction of California solar plants

BrightSource Energy's Ivanpah Solar Power Complex planned for California could be delayed if the U.S. government's economic stimulus package does not provide incentives to unlock financing for renewable energy projects.

BrightSource Energy Inc, which last year signed contracts with California utility PG&E Corp to provide up to 900 megawatts of solar thermal power, still needs to secure financing for the project, which BrightSource is scheduled to begin constructing in late 2009.

"We should be able to turn dirt over and start construction in the fourth quarter of this year, but big financings don't come in months," BrightSource CEO John Woolard said in an interview with Reuters at the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. "Depending on what happens out of the stimulus bill, it could get pushed back."

U.S. President Barack Obama's proposed $825 billion economic stimulus plan, which offers incentives for renewable projects, will be critical to jump-starting investment again, Woolard said.

"If you were to wait for private markets to come back completely, you'd be waiting a long time. But if you look at what you can do with the right amount of government support, you could see things happen this year," he said, calling the stimulus package "one of the most important pieces of legislation in renewables, period."

Despite the apparent recent difficulty in obtaining project financing for the Ivanpah Complex, BrightSource has achieved several major milestones in the past year:

• In March, BrightSource entered into a series of power purchase agreements with PG&E for up to 900MW of electricity. Ivanpah would be California’s first large-scale commercial solar thermal power plant in nearly three decades.
• In May, BrightSource announced that it had secured $115 million in additional corporate funding from its Series C round of financing, bringing the total the company has raised to date to over $160 million. VantagePoint Venture Partners, the company’s initial investor, led the syndicate, which included Google.org, BP Alternative Energy, StatoilHydro Venture and Black River, Morgan Stanley, DBL Investors (formerly a subsidiary of JP Morgan), Draper Fisher Jurvetson, Chevron Technology Ventures.
• In June, BrightSource dedicated its Solar Energy Development Center (SEDC), an operational solar field that will provide the company with the ability to test equipment, materials and procedures as well as construction and operating methods. The SEDC is located at the Rotem Industrial Park in Dimona, Israel, and is managed by BrightSource Industries Israel (formerly Luz II), the company's wholly-owned Jerusalem-based subsidiary.
  
• In December, BrightSource signed an agreement with Siemens for the largest ever fully solar-powered steam turbine generator for its Ivanpah Complex.
• Last week, BrightSource announced that Andrew Siegelstein has been named General Manager for the company’s subsidiary BrightSource Construction Management Company. Under Siegelstein's leadership, BrightSource Construction Management Company will oversee and manage the construction of BrightSource Energy’s solar energy projects, including the Ivanpah Complex.

BrightSource also seems to be doing better than its competitors, OptiSolar and Ausra. According to reports in Earth2Tech and GreentechMedia, both OptiSolar and Ausra are laying off employees. Ausra, which is backed by high-profile cleantech VCs Khosla Ventures and Kleiner Perkins, is reportedly changing its business plan because of the difficult financing environment and will focus on supplying equipment and building small power plants.

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Israel sets renewable energy target of 10%

Israel's government this week set a target of producing 10 percent of the country's electricity from renewable energy sources by 2020.

The decision was made by the socio-economic cabinet, headed by Finance Minister Roni Bar-On. The panel also set an interim target of 5 percent by 2014.

The Negev and Arava regions will become "national preference" regions for renewable energy, according to the plan put forward by Minister of National Infrastructure Binyamin Ben-Eliezer. Ben-Eliezer's plan calls for the construction of 10 solar power stations in the Negev and Arava between 2010-2020.

Israel has already initiated a process of building solar thermal and photovoltaic power plants at Ashalim, in the Negev desert, that are expected to be operational by 2012.

"Promoting the generation of renewable energy will not only lead to a reduction in the dependency on fossil fuels and the promotion of environmental values but advancing this industry in the south will lead to the development of the periphery in the south," Bar-On said in a statement.

Israel currently produces only 1% of its electricity from renewable sources, while 69% is produced from coal, 23% from natural gas and 7% from diesel fuel or fuel oil, according a report in YNet News.

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Afcon and IEC to partner on Galilee wind project

Afcon E.B. Wind Energy Ltd., a subsidiary of Afcon Industries, is in talks to partner with Israel Electric Corporation (IEC) on a $70 million project for installing wind turbines in the Lower Galilee.

As part of the collaboration, IEC has already started the process of obtaining statutory permits for the wind turbine farm, according to a report in Globes.

The wind turbine farm will be set up in Ramat Sirin and the Gilboa mountain ridge, with an output estimated at 40-50 megawatts. The National Planning and Building Board approved the construction of wind turbines in this region in 2003. IEC had previously planned to construct the turbine farm on its own, but after its board refused to finance the project, because of its high cost, the plan was dropped.

Afcon Wind Energy General Manager Dr. Eli Ben Dov was formerly deputy manager of IEC's planning and development division.

Afcon has already reached agreements in principle with the kibbutzim in the area, including Ma'aleh Gilboa, Beit Zera, and Degania, on constructing wind turbines on their land. In the next few months it will apply to the Public Utilities Authority (Electricity) for a conditional license to set up the farm.

Afcon declined to comment on the report. IEC said in response, "The company is doing all in its power to assist the promotion of green energy, and helps private producers in every possible way. The company is a subcontractor to Afcon Wind Energy, and is contributing towards advancing these important projects. The company is prevented from divulging details of commercial agreements with its customers."

Afcon Industries, one of Israel's leading industrial enterprises, is controlled by Shlomo Shmeltzer and traded on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange. Motorola owns 9% of the group.

Defense Ministry opposes wind turbines in the Golan Heights

In related news, Globes reports that the Defense Ministry is opposed to the contruction of additional wind turbines in the Golan Heights. If true, this would be a blow to Mei Golan Wind's plans to construct a $600m wind turbine project in the Golan in partnership with U.S.-based AES.

Arava Power solar project approved for Negev kibbutz

Israel's Public Utilities Authority (Electricity) has approved the application of Arava Power Company for a license to build a 4.9-megawatt solar power plant at an 20-acre site at Kibbutz Ketura in the Negev. The project will cost NIS 100 million ($26 million), according to a report in Globes, and will use both photovoltaic (PV) and solar thermal technologies.

The Public Utilities Authority plenum approved the conditional license for Arava Power to produce electricity, and sent it to Minister of National Infrastructures Benjamin Ben-Eliezer.

"This is an historic day for renewable energy in Israel," Arava Power Company president Yosef Abramowitz said in a statement. "For the first time, a large solar project is being launched that will be connected to the national grid, with many more megawatts on the way in the coming years. The Public Utility Authority is making a reality Ben-Eliezer's dramatic decision to produce thousands of megawatts of electricity from renewable sources by 2020."

The first solar installation of 100 kilowatts will be built by Edig Solar, according to the Jerusalem Post. Edig Solar uses solar thermal technology developed at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot. The plant is expected to become operational in March.

Arava Power has signed cooperation agreements with 15 kibbutzim, including Ketura and Yotvata, that own land available sufficient for the production of up to 500 megawatts of electricity at photovoltaic farms. The company predicts that a total of over 20 kibbutzim will join the venture this year.

Kibbutz Ketura owns 40% of Arava Power, and a group of US investors, led by company president Yossi Abramowitz, own the rest. Arava Power plans on announcing its brand-name institutional investors by February 1st, 2009.

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Rotem Industries and Midwest Research Institute to establish renewable energy technology center in Dimona

Midwest Research Institute (MRI) and Rotem Industries Ltd announced that they have reached an agreement to jointly establish a Renewable Energy Technological Center (RETC) in the Rotem Industrial Park located in Dimona, Israel.

MRI and Rotem aim to develop and commercialize new clean technologies at the RETC.
MRI is one of America's leading independent research institutes conducting research in the areas of national security and defense, energy and environment, life sciences, food and agriculture, and transportation safety. It is one of the two entities in the Alliance for Sustainable Energy, LLC, that manages and operates the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden, Colo., for the U.S. Department of Energy.

Rotem, a quasi-governmental entity, specializes in evaluating seed technologies, bringing them to market readiness and commercializing the resulting products. In 2005, Rotem established a Renewable Energy Innovation Center that is now home to projects like Leviathan Energy's experimental wind park and BrightSource Energy's "Solar Energy Development Center".

MRI and Rotem will also collaborate with TASC Capital to invest in promising renewable energy technologies.

MRI and Rotem will organize and manage the RETC, with Rotem providing the facilities and MRI providing expertise in the technical screening and evaluation of potential projects. It is anticipated the Center will be ready for operation in January 2009.

"In Israel, MRI has found innovative technologies with commercialization potential that will advance new renewable energy applications in the marketplace," said Roger Starnes, MRI Group Vice President of Strategic and Emerging Program Development. "MRI's and Rotem's capabilities complement each other and by working together through the Center we will be able to accelerate the advancement of these technologies."

This agreement would seem to put Rotem in a strong position to receive government support under a Negev renewable energy R&D program approved by the Israeli government in August, 2008.

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Italy, Israel to form cleantech working group

National Infrastructures Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer came to an agreement last week with his Italian counterpart, Minister of Economic Development Claudio Scajola, to cooperate on alternative energy research and application.

According to a report in the Jerusalem Post, the two met as part of an Israel-Italy business seminar in Tel Aviv. Two weeks ago, Ben-Eliezer came to an agreement with Italian Environment Minister Stefania Presigiacomo to cooperate on water issues.

Italy is Israel's fifth-largest export market. In 2007, Israeli exports to Italy amounted to €1.8 billion, representing an increase of 9% over the previous year.

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US & Israel to launch energy cooperation agreement at Eilat Energy Conference

The Eilat-Eilot International Renewable Energy Conference announced that the US-Israel Energy Cooperation Act, passed last year by the U.S. Congress, is expected to launch at the upcoming Eilat-Eilot energy conference, to be held from February 17-19, 2009, in Eilat, Israel.

The cooperation act will fund eligible joint ventures between U.S. and Israeli businesses, as well as establish the International Energy Advisory Board. Hezi Kugler, Director General of the Ministry of National Infrastructures will be leading the delegation of National Infrastructure representatives who will be in attendance at the conference.

“The Ministry of National Infrastructures views with high import the development of the Eilat-Eilot Region as a center of renewable energy solutions, and we not only fully support them in this pursuit, but we ourselves are very involved in advancing their initiatives,” Kugler said. “The conference is an important step towards developing the alternative energy capabilities of this region, and will certainly push us forward in becoming an alternative energy world leader.”

Timna Renewable Energy Park

The conference will also feature the unveiling of plans for the Timna Renewable Energy Park, the centerpiece of the Eilat-Eilot region’s efforts to turn Southern Israel into the “Silicon Valley” of renewable energy. It will feature technologies from companies around the world, with planned projects to include a combined wind/solar "farm"; a solar thermal power plant; a solarized turbine pilot plant and the production of biogas from municipal waste.

"The Arava is home to intense sun and a pioneering spirit, which are the necessary ingredients for creating a renewable energy revolution in the State of Israel", said Yosef I. Abramowitz, president of the Arava Power Company, a leading solar developer.

Leading Solar Power Companies

Participating Israeli solar companies, including the Arava Power Company (APC), Solar Power Israel and Sunday Solar Energy, intend on using the conference to launch their next phases of growth. Recently, APC announced an agreement to utilize kibbutz land in the Arava and the Negev for solar fields generating at least 500 MW, and eventually one gigawatt (GW) or more, while energy integrator Sunday Solar Energy announced a NIS 500 million ($133 million USD) investment in photovoltaic solar arrays for kibbutzim across Israel. The investment is expected to be made across the country during the next two years.

The conference will also feature international firms such as the Google-backed eSolar, the German company Concentrix and SunPower, one of the world’s largest solar power technologies companies.

Conference sponsors include Brightsource Energy, Chromagen, Granite HaCarmel and Erdinast, Ben Nathan & Co. Advocates.

Sunday Solar to power Israeli kibbutzim

Solar energy integrator Sunday Solar Energy of Israel announced it would invest NIS 500 million ($133 million USD) in photovoltaic solar arrays for kibbutzim, according to reports in the Jerusalem Post and Cleantech.com.

The Jerusalem Post reports that the company decided to invest following a recent National Infrastructures Ministry decision to allow medium-sized household solar-power stations from 50 kilowatts (kW) to 5 megawatts (MW) starting next year.

Sunday CEO Kobi Diner said the ministry's decision was a breakthrough that would eventually lead to meeting the ministry's goal of 20 percent of Israel's energy market from renewables by 2020.

In July, Israel's Public Utilities Authority agreed to feed-in tariff for small solar-power arrays -- up to 50 kW. Under the plan, the Authority will buy electricity at NIS 2.01 ($0.53 USD) per kilowatt hour from individuals and companies installing solar arrays on roofs—four times the going price of electricity for consumers.

Related Posts:

Ormat teams with Sunday Energy on $195M solar joint venture

Ormat installing solar panels at factory in Israel

A Renewable Light Unto the Nations

Better Place and Hawaii to partner on electric car project

According to an announcement by Hawaii's Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism (DBEDT), the state will partner with Better Place to evaluate "the integration of electric vehicle storage into the electrical grid to maximize renewable energy use."

Hawaii has secured $1.7 million in grants, including a $500,000 grant from the federal Department of Energy, to fund this and other projects to advance the use of renewable energy in the state.

Lt. Governor James R. "Duke" Aiona, Jr. said, "Our Administration is committed to breaking Hawaii's dependency on imported oil and reducing greenhouse gas emissions through developing clean sources of energy. This public-private partnership will further Hawaii's efforts to modernize our electrical infrastructure and distribution system and help increase the energy security of our state."

This latest development, which has not yet been picked up by the media, would seem to confirm the recent reports, such as this article in Globes, that Better Place is near an agreement with Hawaii.

Related Posts:

Better Place secures $350 million series B round led by HSBC

Shai Agassi, Better Place, featured in Wired Magazine

Better Place in talks with Mercedes, Hawaii and San Francisco

The growing importance of water

The most recent Sunday New York Times included two articles of interest to readers of this blog.

The first article, which does not seem to be available online, discusses Israel's water shortage and the threat that it poses to the agricultural sector. You can check out an associated NY Times video on YouTube.

The second article, "A Tall, Cool Drink of... Sewage?", analyzes the growing importance of wastewater treatment and water recycling in the United States. This trend should present economic opportunities for Israel, which is a world leader in the development of water technologies.

The new Orange County, California, Groundwater Replenishment System, illustrates how valuable the market for water technologies could be: the system cost $480 million to build and will cost $29 million a year to operate.

The linkage between water and energy is also interesting. California, as the NY Times points out, uses a staggering 20% of its energy just to move water from the rainy north to the dry southern portion of the state.

For more on the connection between energy and water innovation, take a look at this article by Bill Aulet of MIT. The Israeli government is also taking note of the connection and will devote an entire day of the upcoming Prime Minister's Conference to exploring the "Water-Energy Nexus."