In a country as hot and sunny as Israel, one might expect widespread use of solar energy, yet that is not the case. In 2014, electricity production from renewable energy in Israel was supposed to be at 5%. However, only one half percent of the country’s energy came from renewable sources. While the situation has changed slightly since then, it is still far from satisfactory. The target for 2030 is to generate at least 17% of all electricity from renewable sources.
A more optimistic example of investing in renewable energy comes from California, whose economy is among the largest in the United States and the fifth-largest in the world. California generates 34% of its electricity from renewable sources.
The Jerusalem Post reported despite the rather sobering numbers, Israel did register some successes in its strive to produce green energy. Seventy-five percent of the electricity consumed in and around Eilat, a coastal city located at the southern end of the Arava desert in Israel, is currently produced from solar energy. This was achieved through nine individual solar fields in Eilat and the Arava and hundreds of solar roofs in public institutions and private homes. In addition, another field is currently being built at Ramon Airport and Timna.
According to the municipality of Eilat, the ultimate goal is to have the city’s electricity supply come from 100% solar energy.
However, the vast majority of electricity in Israel is still produced from fossil fuels, most notably natural gas and coal. According to Dr. Shahar Dolev, research director of the Israeli Energy Forum, the main reason is, unsurprisingly, money-driven.
“The perception among decision-makers in Israel is that as a small country, it is better to wait and let other nations invest money and lay down the groundwork for these technologies so that costs drop enough and efficiency increases,” Dolev says. “Then, we will invest our money.”
The Energy Ministry said in response, “the Ministry of Energy is promoting the generation of electricity from renewable energy, as part of the government’s decision to reduce coal use in accordance with the state’s commitment in the Paris agreement.”
“According to the plan from the Ministry of Energy and in cooperation with the Electricity Authority, Israel is expected to meet an intermediate target of 10% renewable energy production by 2020,” the ministry said.