Israel has for years led the world in technology and entrepreneurial growth and development. After building in a number of key tech areas like cyber security and biotech, the nation has turned its sights on bolstering capabilities in renewable energy. Recently, the Israeli government announced a new initiative focused on pushing development of renewable energy into the 21st century. This creates a prime opportunity, for Israel’s energy companies and for investors looking to become part of this growth in the years ahead.
Sources of Renewable Energy in Israel
Israel receives a great deal of sun, and Tel Aviv University’s Center for Renewable Energy estimates that covering merely eight percent of the Negev Desert with solar panels could supply all of Israel’s energy needs.
To make this work, Israel needs the benefit of technology to maximize production of electricity converted from solar sources, efficiently store solar energy, along with infrastructure changes to allow better transmission of solar power across the country. This leads to ever increasing amount of people working to develop these technologies to improve its renewable energy capabilities.
The Opportunity Emerging
As of this time last year, 2.6 percent of Israel’s energy was produced from renewable sources. Given the amount of solar energy available to be harvested, this creates tremendous growth opportunities in this field. In fact, the Electric Authority recently issued a the first tender out of four that are scheduled to take place this year for solar generation, and announced on March 2017 its first round winners, which committed collectively to almost 235 megawatts of electric generation within the scope of 300 megawatts allocated to this tender and overall scope of over 1,000 megawatts for all four tenders scheduled this year.
Beyond creating opportunity for the companies building the facilities, this new focus on solar generation can create a boom for technology start-ups and established companies that develop mechanisms for more effectively storing and transferring solar energy.
If you’re ready to build or invest in this growth opportunity, the Ministry has developed a regulatory structure for which you should be prepared. Barnea can help you understand and move through the system to get your company or investment working efficiently and legally.
Source: barlaw.co.il