Public buildings in Tel Aviv to run on solar energy

by Yuval Azoulay
September 7, 2005
http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/spages/621858.html

All Tel Aviv public buildings that are refurbished or expanded 
will be fitted to run on solar energy, the Tel Aviv municipal 
council decided this week. This means that in the near future, 
all public institutions that are under construction, being 
refurbished or expanded will be required to adapt themselves 
to operate using giant solar receptor panels that are around 
20 sq. meters. Nonetheless, while the greens faction is 
welcoming the decision and referring to it as "revolutionary," 
experts are cautioning that this is a costly process that will not 
significantly change electricity consumption.

The decision was enthusiastically received by the greens faction, 
whose members can already envision the solar panels installed 
on the roofs of City Hall, Heichal Hatarbut, the Museum of Art, 
schools and kindergartens. According to faction chairman and 
deputy mayor Pe'er Wisner, the process will substantially 
reduce electricity consumption, which he believes will lead to 
a drop in air pollution stemming from electricity production

"As a result, the incidence of illness due to air pollution will also 
drop, and the state's spending on treating such illnesses will be 
reduced," says Wisner.

The greens are already preparing to set up a special committee 
of experts in the field of solar energy which will try to make the 
decision applicable within a few months.

"In some of the tenders issued by the municipality, we will 
require a solar energy solution," says Wisner. "We will not allow 
the Planning and Construction committee to approve structures 
without such systems."

Solar energy is relatively developed in countries around the world 
such as Japan, Germany, Spain and the United States. 
Tel Aviv municipality officials feel that what is good for them can 
also be good for us. Wisner dreams of an environmentally 
sound vision emanating specifically from polluted Tel Aviv, and 
one of his first targets is the City Hall building which is slated 
for renovations soon.

"The east side of the building is the hot side, and there's also 
a debate over who will have offices there," said one official. 
"It's very hot on this side even when the air conditioning is on. 
On this side, for example, we will install special receptors and 
they will provide all the floors with the energy to run the 
air conditioning."

However Haim Melamed, director of licensing and supervision 
at the Ministry of National Infrastructure's electricity administration, 
cast a shadow over the joy of the greens.

"The electricity production capacity of this type of energy will not 
exceed 10 percent of total electricity consumption," he said. 
"Even though it's very nice and trendy technology, it's very 
complicated."

According to Melamed, the price of solar energy is more expensive 
than that of the electricity currently supplied, and therefore the 
municipality's decision will not immediately affect the electricity 
economy. "However, this does signal a green light for the future, 
and that's already good," he said.

The Greenpeace organization thinks otherwise. They say that in 
sun-drenched Israel, solar energy can become feasible and efficient.

"The country has the natural resources to operate this technology," 
said Nili Grossman, director of Greenpeace's energy campaign. 
"We have three times as much sun as Germany and there this 
technology is developed."

According to a Greenpeace report, the widespread use of solar 
energy will yield a surplus of $181 million for the Israeli economy. 
According to Grossman, this debunks the "outdated" perception 
that investment in solar energy is not worthwhile.