ISRAEL'S ENERGY MIX AND RENEWABLE ENERGY WSES 3rd Assignment Oren Kidar, Manar Saria, Michal Nachmany – ISRAEL
1. Israel electric power production is 54406 GWH, and breaks down as follows:
GWh GWh GWh GWh GWh
26114.88 25570.82 2448.27 272.03 54406
GWh Coal GWh Natural Gas GWh Oil (all types) GWh Solar SUM
48% 47% 4.5% 0.5% 100.0%
2. As described above, Israel's electric energy mix is comprised mainly of coal and natural gas, almost in equal proportions. A very small part is oil derivatives, used especially in peak demand hours, and a tiny part is solar energy, which accounts for less than 1% of the electricity production. However, Israel is a world leader in solar water heating - as there are at least 8 months a year of guaranteed good sun conditions and hot water. Solar water heating accounts for 3% of Israel's energy production, and Israel is ranked second in the world in terms of number of systems installed per capita. Almost all residential water heating is solar, as installing residential solar water heaters is mandatory in Israel since 1980. However, the mandatory requirement applies only to residential buildings, and there is still much progress to be achieved in the industrial sector.
3. Israel has excellent sun conditions, and should have apparently been able to make better use of it for solar electricity generation. However, there are several challenges which this potential source faces:
Israel has a very small area. The southern part, which has the best sun conditions, has competing land uses – from military training areas to unique natural reserves. The actual potential for large solar fields is much smaller than it seems when looking at the map. Bureaucracy and long term planning are two main problems – planning takes a very long time and is subject to multiple authorizations by different organs, which do not always see eye to eye. As most of the population in Israel lives in the center (Tel-Aviv area), and most solar potential is in the South (some 200-300 km south, with major topographic differences), there needs to be a major upgrade in the national transmission system. Costs and Transmission losses are still expected to be high even after such an upgrade. The rapid development of technology creates a situation in which investing now may not produce the best possible return on investment. The need to wait and see if tomorrow brings something better and cheaper causes delays The potential for installing residential PV systems is relatively low – and almost matches the annual growth in energy demand – so even if exhausted, its effect will be relatively short term. The incentive for installing residential PV systems is low – the systems are pricey, (although there is an appealing feed-in tariff), there are significant transmission losses when selling power to the grid, and in terms of general interest, it does not serve other interests such as increasing employment.