Israel

The Israeli authorities have selected 24 bidders for the tender’s final phase. Construction of the solar-plus-storage facility is planned for late 2021, and completion in 2023.

The Israel Ministry of Energy and the Ministry of Agriculture have decided to implement a pilot research program to assess the feasibility of agrivoltaic projects in the country. The possibility of combining PV and agriculture in a land with limited land availability and increasing energy demand is considered a win-win solution by the government.

The Israeli government assigned 608.9 MW of PV capacity through the tender and selected seven developers for 33 projects. A storage capacity of around 2,400 MWh will be linked to the selected solar power projects.

The plan envisages to reach a 30% share of renewable energies in the country’s electricity mix by 2030. An intermediate target of 20% has been set for 2025.

The government assigned 168 MW of capacity through the tender and selected three developers for 11 projects, with capacities of 100 MW, 48 MW and 20 MW.

Energy minister Yuval Steinitz has announced the country’s 2030 renewable energy target will rise to 30%, with solar expected to account for the lion’s share. Approximately $23 billion more clean energy investment is envisaged this decade.

The incentive scheme awards a 23-year, $0.12/kWh feed-in tariff to rooftop arrays with a generation capacity of up to 200 kW. Already, 141 municipalities have applied to install 116 MW of rooftop solar capacity and the government has increased the program’s budget from $28.5 million to $143 million.

The country also intends to continue the procurement exercise for the Dimona solar power plant in the Negev desert. The Israeli government also will try to remove barriers to facilitate rapid and efficient development, while improving the grid-connection process for projects.

German contractor Belectric has deployed a 480 kW array on a reservoir near the Mishmar HaEmek kibbutz in northern Israel.

Financial newspaper Globes has reported the tender, launched only three weeks ago, is being opposed by the country’s Land Authority, which claims the project could interfere with sand-mining near Dimona.