Israel has long played a major role in the Cleantech field, evolving
from a nation of limited natural resources to a significant player in global
sustainability. The Israeli sustainable energy industry is today considered a
global pioneer thanks to breakthrough technological innovations in this area.
Israel's Sustainable / Renewable Energy Technology is Vega’s topic of the
month. For a full coverage of this topic please refer to the Full Article published at our Blog.
Israel's Sustainable / Renewable Energy Technology
Israel
has long played a major role in the Cleantech field, evolving from a nation of
limited natural resources to a significant player in global sustainability. The
Israeli sustainable energy industry is
The Global Energy
Challenge
The use
of energy has always been key to the development of human society, enabling
humanity to control and adapt to its environment for centuries. Nowadays, humanity
is forced to utilize all of its creativity and technological innovation to
answer the rising energy needs. In turn, this challenge also presents a huge
market and business opportunity for those companies that can provide real,
relevant and outstanding sustainable energy solutions.
Sustainable/
Renewable energy industry fast facts
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Renewable forms of energy
have contributed 14% of the growth in global power generation over the past
three years.
P
World primary energy consumption
- oil, natural gas, coal, and nuclear energy - fell by 1.1% in 2009, indicating
a rise in sustainable energy use.
P
Solar energy demand has
grown at about 30% per annum over the past 15 years (hydrocarbon energy demand
typically grows between 0-2% per annum).
P
The projected global clean
energy investment in 2017 will be $254.5 billion.
P
Only 1.7% of the world’s
total energy supply is provided by sustainable sources such as solar, wind,
geothermal, etc.
“It is
not an exaggeration to say that the future of human prosperity hinges on
finding a way of supplying the world’s growing energy needs in a way that does
not irreparably harm the environment. Until recently, it looked as if we had
plenty of time to meet that challenge. No longer.”
Israel - A history
of turning desert into oasis
Since its
foundation in 1948, Israel has placed great emphasis on conserving energy
wherever possible; developing innovative, alternative, and sustainable solutions
to combat the nation’s lack of natural resources. Ranging from its decades-long
use of solar thermal energy, to its development of unique biofuels, the country
has consistently turned its natural disadvantages around, achieving great
success and demonstrating expertise and knowledge in the field of sustainable
energy. Energy sustainability has been a national priority in Israel since day
one, and this emphasis has proven itself in one of the world’s most emergent
and well-crafted energy systems.
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Israel
serves as the base to over 100 start-ups in the sustainable energy sector.
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Solar
water heaters are used in over 90% of Israeli homes.
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Israel
houses one of the world’s largest solar energy dishes at the Ben-Gurion
National Solar Energy Center.
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The
Israeli Public Utility Authority and National Infrastructures Ministry have
established feed-in tariffs for the development of solar and wind power
technology, encouraging major investment and innovation into these fields.
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As of
October 2010, a consortium of leading Israeli companies, investors and academic
institutions began to develop and operate a brand new technology center for
sustainable energy in the south of the country.
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Israel is
currently embarking on programs that will enable it to integrate alternative
energy systems and implement energy efficiency technologies to meet climate
change challenges.