Through its subsidiary Menorah Synergy, Israel’s solar developer Teralight has delivered and inaugurated a 31 MW floating solar PV energy project that floats above Kibbutz Maayan Zvi reservoirs in south Haifa.
As local reports, it is Israel’s largest floating project where the PV field covers a total area of approximately 587,000 square metres. The project, which is estimated to have construction cost of approximately NIS130 million ($34 million), saw the existing project in HaBonim Reservoir joined by two large solar rafts. One of the projects incorporates solar trackers from Israeli company Xfloat.
The firm said that the trackers are designed to track the movement of the sun in the water reservoir and use the water to tilt the panels. “The unique project was carried out as part of a policy led by the Carmel Coast Regional Council for the roofing of waterways and reservoirs,” said the firm.
NREL report says, “Floating photovoltaics are promising solution in Southeast Asia. The plan was formulated together with the Haifa District Planning Bureau, government ministries and various green bodies and accompanied the building of the water reservoir in Moshav Bonim and fish ponds in Kibbutz Ma’agan Michael.”
Yoed Ludar, CEO of Hof Carmel Energies:, “Today, we inaugurated Israel’s largest and most unique floating solar project…This is another step in covering all the water reservoirs for agriculture on the Carmel Coast and producing green electricity on a large scale for the consumption of all the households in the Carmel Coast settlements.
“The project will allow water to be reduced for agriculture and help preserve green space along the entire stretch of the coastal plain between Hadera and Haifa,” added Ludar.
Teralight CEO, Rani Lifshitz: “There is no doubt that this is the greenest way to generate electricity – making the best use of the sun and an existing resource. We thank Synergy, the Carmel Coast Regional Council, and Bank Leumi for their partnership along the way”.
The Ma’ayan Zvi project is the largest in a series of solar projects by Menorah Synergy. The firm has a portfolio of 124MW (DC) on roofs and water reservoirs throughout the country.
The government of Israel made a decision in October 2020 to target 30% of electricity to be generated from renewable sources by 2030. As per the plan, solar will account for approximately 90% of the electricity, and wind, water and biomass will provide the remaining 10%.
