Solar Energy Research and Development Achievements in Israel and Their Practical Significance

This paper reviews the pioneering efforts done in Israel over the last 50 years to explore different directions of developing the solar energy resource as an alternative energy supply. An early start included the improvement of solar collectors for heating water for domestic uses. This was followed by low-temperature Organic Rankine Cycle turbines to supply electricity for remote locations, and then the development and commercialization of the SEGS Solar Thermal power plants. Current research directions are described, including high temperature Solar Tower power systems, production of “solar fuels” at high temperature to enable storage and transportation of solar energy, photovoltaic materials and photovoltaic systems development, solar absorption cooling, and the bold idea of large “Energy Towers” to produce electric energy from cooling of hot dry desert air. The paper concludes that additional efforts in Israel and abroad to continue developing and deploying of solar energy systems, having benevolent influence on the environment, should continue.