Israel building 5th largest solar power station on the planet
Israel is planning to start construction in 2014 on what would be the
fifth largest solar power plant in the world (Hat Tip:
Sunlight).
The $1.1 billion solar plant will be able to generate 121 megawatts of
electricity by the time it's finished in 2016. That's enough juice to
power 40,000 homes, and it's only part of the 250 megawatts that all
three solar plants will generate. That's about 2.5% of Israel's energy
consumption, according to Inhabitat. The project will also contribute to the nation's plan to generate 10% of its energy from renewable sources by 2020.
The station works by setting up heliostat mirrors that bounce sun
rays toward solar power towers. The towers transform those rays into
steam, which then powers turbines to make electricity.
Construction of the plants will be a joint venture teaming American
company Brightsource with the French firm Alstom. Brightsource already
has experience in building large solar stations. Its biggest project is
the Ivanpah solar facility in California's Mojave desert.
Brightsource declined to answer questions about its Israel venture, and Alstom did not immediately respond for comment.
And you thought Brightsource (which was originally an Israeli company) had gone bankrupt.... Hmmm....
Labels: green slush, greentech, Israeli high tech
Clinton bringing green slush to Israel?
Is Bill Clinton bringing green slush with him to Israel? That's how the Jewish National Fund is
implicitly justifying spending
$500,000 to bring Clinton to Israel for Shimon Peres' birthday party.
In response to a
query from The Jerusalem Post to KKL-JNF about the gala, members of the
international steering committee of KKL-JNF’s World Leadership Conference of
Presidents voiced their support for the event.
This year’s WLC, which
takes place biannually, will occur on June 14 through 20 and includes the June
17 gala as part of its activities.
“We members of the committee, the
organizer of the World Leadership Conference of Presidents of KKL-JNF from 40
countries around the world, have decided to join in an event organized by the
Peres Academic Center,” a statement from the group said. “The Peres Academic
Center in Rehovot invited Former US president Bill Clinton, came to financial
terms with him, and paid him, a long time before the representatives of the WLC
of Presidents of KKL-JNF were part of it.”
The $500,000 will be
contributed to the William J. Clinton Foundation, which finances global
initiatives on public health, climate change, economic equality, childhood
obesity and other environmental and health concerns.
“As KKL-JNF
contributors we have decided to take part in this event, seeing this as a unique
opportunity to increase fund-raising towards the land and people of Israel,
while recognizing the KKLJNF’s ‘green’ activities around the world,” the group
statement said.
“We would like to emphasize that our participation at the
event is fully financed by our own funds and we intend to raise $100 million for
projects in the State of Israel.”
The fund-raising will take place
throughout the course of the week-long WLC, the committee members
stressed.
Representatives of the Peres Academic Center meanwhile
responded that Clinton will be a guest of honor at this special tribute evening,
which will include many government officials, public figures and
dignitaries.
Contrary to previous reports, the gala evening will not
include fund-raising, and participants in the event – many of who are friends
and supporters of the academic center – will not need to pay for their entrance,
a statement from the center said.
“The Peres Academic Center in Rehovot
announced that due to the high demand for attendance all places have been
booked, and we thank everyone who was interested in joining and regret that
additional places cannot be confirmed,” the statement added.
So Clinton is coming here to promote 'green activities' around the world, including global
initiatives on public health, climate change, economic equality, childhood
obesity and other environmental and health concerns. The JNF is paying for him to come. And you thought the JNF was about reclaiming swampland and planting trees
in Israel. Climate change? Obesity? What does that have to do with their little blue boxes to which Jews have given money all these years?
Labels: Bill Clinton, energy independence, green slush, greentech, Jewish National Fund
