Green Development News – Energy Efficiency Plans Will Transform Eilat Into Israel’s First Solar-Powered City

Recently over 100 business owners in Israel’s Eilat-Eilot region met with MyPlanet leaders and the Eilat City council to discuss plans to increase the area’s energy efficiency and produce its own green energy. At the meeting, MyPlanet announced its commitment to helping local business become more efficient energy consumers with a goal of reducing their energy and water consumption by 10% within one year.

Businesses that choose to participate in the project will benefit from MyPlanet’s initial individual energy audits and direct supervision during the process of increasing energy efficiency and developing green energy production strategies. Part of that supervision will include: benchmarking, during which a company’s energy bills will be compared to that of others companies working in the same industry; guidance and advice on reducing energy bills; a walkthrough during which potential ways to reduce, use, and save money will be identified; and a detailed plan for reducing the company’s overall energy use.

Ofer Keren, MyPanet’s manager of research and development for the Eilat project and an associate at NiDan, a company that develops programs to increase energy efficiency, said, "Israel has decided to take significant steps to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Eilat and the Eilot regional council have decided to implement those recommendations immediately.”

Noam Ilan, the coordinator of the renewable energy project further notes, "The Eilat- Eilot region consumes 160 mega watt during peak hours. Electricity is currently transported some 300km from the Ashkelon power station. This is in a region with the strongest solar radiation in the world. The sun can certainly be tapped as a non-polluting energy source. It used to be cheaper and more convenient to produce electricity from crude oil and coal until we began to understand that this had a terrible price: pollution and subsequent global warming as well as the constant drain on what is essentially a non-renewable source of power.”

The Eilat-Eilot region is the only municipality in Israel to hire a professional Green Development team to aid them in their efforts to develop a self-sufficient and independent source of energy. To that end, their goal is simple: turn Eilat into a solar-powered city and to make renewable and efficient energy strategies part of every level of civic life. In the process they hope to stimulate new job development and bring to the region professionals interested in green development and renewable energy.

As for today, 3 programs are in the process of being developed: a sun tower, a solar panel cell farm, and installing a green roof on Bank Leumi. Meanwhile, advocates are discussing Eilat’s green energy program with government officials, local entrepreneurs, and business owners in an effort to further the goal of energy independence. Discussions are also underway for tapping alternative energy sources such as wind energy, extracted energy, and Biomass energy. There has even been some talk of using biodiesel instead of gasoline.

The local government’s Environmental Unit is also educating residents about energy conservation and efficiency in their homes and assists entrepreneurs establish green energy practices.

Please look back here as we bring you recent developments of this ambitious MyPlanet protocol and process.