{"id":3377,"date":"2020-10-03T15:44:06","date_gmt":"2020-10-03T15:44:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/?p=3377"},"modified":"2020-10-03T15:53:47","modified_gmt":"2020-10-03T15:53:47","slug":"will-israel-buy-jordanian-green-electricity-in-the-future","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/en\/weather-climate\/will-israel-buy-jordanian-green-electricity-in-the-future\/","title":{"rendered":"Will Israel buy Jordanian green electricity in the future?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Will Israel buy Jordanian green electricity in the future?\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/mQF4wppPgNw?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Like in most industries, in the energy sector, collaborations provide\nvarious advantages. A shining example of that is the recent announcement that\nIsrael will be connected to the European electricity grid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This connection could allow Israel not only to sell electricity easily\nbut to transfer surplus electricity from its national grid to other countries,\ninstead of letting it go to waste. In addition, it might increase the country&#8217;s\nenergy security.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Another cooperation that is currently materializing is between Israel\nand a much closer neighbor: Jordan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A successful first approach was made recently when Energy Minister Yuval\nSteinitz wrote an official letter stating that his office supports the launch\nof a pilot in which Jordan will transfer 25 megawatts of solar electricity to\nthe Israeli grid (a quantity that can meet the electricity needs of thousands\nof homes).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The letter, which was sent to environmental activists in Israel, and\nwhose details were published in the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2020\/aug\/23\/israel-moots-plan-to-buy-solar-power-from-former-enemy-jordan\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Guardian<\/a>, does not guarantee a de facto collaboration between\nthe countries, but it is a crucial step in the right direction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;There is a big change here: Israel has revised its policy, and\ntoday the country is looking at the possibility of purchasing solar electricity\nfrom Jordan to meet its promises made to the public and the Paris\nAgreement,&#8221; said Gidon Bromberg, Israeli CEO of&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/ecopeaceme.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">EcoPeace\nMiddle East<\/a>, the organization that leads the collaboration efforts\nbetween Jordan and Israel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The amount of electricity produced from renewable sources in Israel (the\nprimary source being solar energy) is low compared to many other countries. As\nof late 2019, it stands at about 6 percent of the total electricity production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To date, Israel has done a rather poor job meeting its renewable energy production targets, set as part of the country&#8217;s commitments under the Paris Agreement. In 2014, the goal was to reach 5 percent of electricity from renewable sources, but only 1.5 percent were achieved. The initial target for 2020 was 10 percent. Now all hopes are set on 2030, and until then, Israel wants to increase the share of renewable energies to 17 percent \u2013 although last June, the Ministry of Energy proposed raising the target to 30 percent and presented an NIS 80 billion plan in support of the proposal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/val-toch-qTvmHpsEtxc-unsplash-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3382\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/val-toch-qTvmHpsEtxc-unsplash-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/val-toch-qTvmHpsEtxc-unsplash-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/val-toch-qTvmHpsEtxc-unsplash-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/val-toch-qTvmHpsEtxc-unsplash-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/val-toch-qTvmHpsEtxc-unsplash-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption><em>The amount of electricity produced from renewable sources in Israel (the primary source being solar energy) is low compared to many other countries. As of late 2019, it stands at about 6 percent of the total electricity production. Photo by Val Toch on Unsplash<\/em>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>Increasing Israel&#8217;s energy security<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Purchasing solar energy from Jordan has been declared a possible way to\nincrease Israel&#8217;s renewable energy volume based on Jordan&#8217;s natural advantages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;In Israel, it is hard to find undeveloped land for the\nconstruction of solar farms. Although we have the Negev desert, most of it is\neither used by the army for training purposes or is designated nature\nreserve,&#8221; says Bromberg. &#8220;Jordan, on the other hand, has no shortage\nof open spaces: The majority of the population lives in the capital Amman and a\nfew other big cities. The rest is pretty much vast open desert. Thanks to the\nnatural conditions in Jordan, it is one of the best places in the world to\ngenerate solar energy.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Some of the desert areas in Jordan are located relatively close to\nNorthern Israel. Solar fields in that region could bring electricity via a\nshort power grid to the North of Israel instead of transporting solar energy\nfrom the Negev or the Arava all the way up the country,&#8221; says Dr. Daniel\nMadar, a researcher and consultant at SP Interface. &#8220;This way, you can\nsave the energy that is lost during longer transmission and the financial and\nenvironmental investment of building and operating long-distance\ninfrastructure.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Decentralization of energy sources, meaning that some of them will\nbe outside of Israel, can also increase the country&#8217;s energy security,&#8221;\nMadar adds. However, it should be noted that such decentralization may also be\na weak point. An example of this is the pipeline that previously carried\nnatural gas from Egypt to Israel. &#8220;Terrorist attacks have repeatedly shut\ndown the pipeline until they have simply stopped using it,&#8221; Madar says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Today, the Jordanian solar energy industry is booming. &#8220;Jordanians\nare building more and more solar fields, and next year, 20 percent of the\ncountry&#8217;s electricity will come from solar sources,&#8221; Bromberg says.\nAccording to their master plan, one of the energy goals is to export\nelectricity to neighboring countries.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Bromberg says that last month Jordan and Saudi Arabia agreed on\nconnecting their electricity grids, which would make it easier for Jordan to\nsell electricity to the Saudis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;They are currently negotiating hoping to sell electricity to Iraq and Egypt as well,&#8221; he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/accolade-maOhLY00aCo-unsplash-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3386\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/accolade-maOhLY00aCo-unsplash-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/accolade-maOhLY00aCo-unsplash-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/accolade-maOhLY00aCo-unsplash-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/accolade-maOhLY00aCo-unsplash-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/accolade-maOhLY00aCo-unsplash-2048x1536.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption><em>Thanks to the natural conditions in Jordan, it is one of the best places in the world to generate solar energy. Photo by Accolade on Unsplash<\/em>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>The coal and steel of the Middle East<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The idea to buy solar energy from Jordan first arose in early 2012 when\nEcoPeace Middle East began raising funds for the initiative and conducting\na&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/ecopeaceme.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/WEN_Full_Study_Final_Web.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">study<\/a>&nbsp;examining if the plan would be feasible. In\n2017, after completing the study, the organization began promoting the idea by\norganizing tours and conferences locally and overseas. &#8220;At one point the\nJordanian government wanted to know if Israel was really interested in such\ncooperation, they asked us for a letter from Minister Steinitz, and because of\nthe transitional governments, it took a year and a half to get it,&#8221;\nBromberg says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After the letter was received, the ball was in the Jordanians court.\n&#8220;However, due to the annexation issue, we were told by the Jordanian\ngovernment that there was nothing to talk about as long as Israel seriously\nconsidered that option,&#8221; Bromberg says. &#8220;But following the recent\ndevelopments in the region, we hope to get a positive response from\nJordan.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Bromberg says that EcoPeace Middle East&#8217;s vision is based on the model of\nthe European Coal and Steel Community: an organization established after World\nWar II enabling free trade of coal and steel between France, West Germany,\nItaly, Belgium, and Luxembourg, aiming to create a collaboration that would\nprevent another war in Europe &#8211; and which led to the establishment of the\nEuropean Union.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;In 2012, we thought hard about what the Middle East&#8217;s &#8220;Coal\nand Steel&#8221; could be and came to the conclusion that it was the sun and the\nsea,&#8221; he says. \u201cWhile Jordan is supplying solar energy, Israel could use\nits advantage of being a pioneer in desalination and sell desalinated water to\nJordan.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;We believe that when there is interdependence between countries in terms of resources, with each side having something to sell and something to buy, it will help promote stability in the region.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>More solar cells on roofs<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, it is important to emphasize that the road to creating\nIsraeli-Jordanian cooperation in the field of solar energy is still long, and\neven if successfully implemented, it is intended to be an addition to the\nproduction of local solar energy in Israel and not to replace it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;The most sustainable way to increase the volume of solar energy production in Israel is to place solar cells on buildings,&#8221; adds Madar. &#8220;This saves damage to open areas, and the electricity is produced right where it is consumed. This way, we can prevent energy from being lost along the way and allow dual use of space instead of destroying natural space. &#8220;Today, it is possible to produce all the electricity that the State of Israel needs on buildings. It is more expensive than placing solar cells on the ground, but it is certainly possible,&#8221; Madar concludes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>This ZAVIT article was also published in&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/jewishjournal.com\/commentary\/blogs\/322274\/will-israel-buy-jordanian-green-electricity-in-the-future\/\">The Jewish Journal&nbsp;<\/a>on 09\/30\/2020.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Like in most industries, in the energy sector, collaborations provide various advantages. A shining example of that is the recent &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":3394,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[15,11,8],"tags":[],"acf":[],"post-meta-fields":{"_edit_lock":["1602167405:11"],"_thumbnail_id":["3394"],"_oembed_cf0e209850ac2d5b8239824adc590b3f":["<iframe title=\"Will Israel buy Jordanian green electricity in the future?\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/mQF4wppPgNw?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>"],"_oembed_time_cf0e209850ac2d5b8239824adc590b3f":["1601739847"],"_edit_last":["11"],"subtitle":["Following the buzz generated by the normalization agreement between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, an initiative to purchase renewable energy from Jordan has somewhat fallen between the cracks. Could this really be a tangible solution?"],"_subtitle":["field_59d3d36ea7fe1"],"_wpml_media_duplicate":["1"],"_wpml_media_featured":["1"]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3377"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/19"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3377"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3377\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3399,"href":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3377\/revisions\/3399"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3394"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3377"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3377"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3377"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}