Interesting story on Israel’s solar energy efforts in Haaretz and the work at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, which is developing some of the solar technology.

Sde Boker makes solar energy viable

By Ofri Ilani

The afternoon Negev sun shone brightly on the solar panels at the National Center for Solar Energy near Sde Boker. The center’s director, physicist Prof. David Feiman, squinted into the light. “After 30 years of research on solar energy, my life’s work of experiments in how to produce electricity from the sun, I can say this year that I know how to manufacture solar energy that will compete with conventional energy,” he says.

A few months ago, the center’s scientists managed to develop a new technology of solar, or photovoltaic cells, that Feiman says will make the production of solar energy so efficient that the cost of the photovoltaic cells that convert solar energy into electricity will be negligible.

In an ordinary solar panel of the type in use today, the silicon that makes up the cells is very expensive, making it a costly product. According to Feiman, photovoltaic cells carry out two functions: First, they change the light into electricity, their essential task; second, they store the light.

“The principle is to focus the light using little material,” Feiman says. “We constructed a large, parabola-shaped glass plate. It not only absorbs the light, it also focuses it on one point, a thousand times more than regular sunlight.”

According to Feiman, “an ordinary photovoltaic cell, which is 10 by 10 centimeters, normally produces one watt of electricity. We managed to extract more than a thousand times more - 1,500 watts. In this way, the cost of a cell is 1,500 less, becoming almost nothing.”

“No one has ever produced so much electricity from a solar cell at this strength,” he says.

The Solar Energy Center is now collaborating with an Israeli start-up company, Zenith Solar, to create a home system of solar cells based on this technology within about a year. “What is good for the home is also good for the country,” Feiman says.

Israeli solar energy technology is already used extensively in power stations throughout the world. At the center at Sde Boker, which belongs to the Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, two solar panels are installed, each one about 100 meters long, moving in synch with the sun. An oil pipe is at the center. The panels, built by Sollel, a Beit Shemesh company, are not based on photovoltaic cells, but rather focus the light on the pipe, causing it to heat up. Heat produced by panels of this type turn into steam, which moves turbines.

Last month, Sollel signed a contract with the U.S. company PG&E, to build the largest power station in the world, in the Mojave desert in California, which will have about 7,000 such panels and will cover about 14 square kilometers. It is due to go into service in about four years, providing 553 megawatts of electricity.

The British-born Feiman has lived at Midreshet Sde Boker since 1976, when he began researching solar energy. A world expert in the field, he says the economic model he has built will allow a significant part of Israel’s energy to go solar within the decade.

“We’re paying about 10 cents per kilowatt/hour. If the government taxes the Electric Corporation one cent per kilowatt/hour, it will amount to about a half billion dollars a year. In a decade, we won’t need any outside funding. If we want to solve Israel’s energy problems, we should stop building conventional power stations and build a solar power station every year of one gigawatt - equal to two of the type of station Sollel is building in California.”

The National Infrastructure Ministry said it would “soon be determining electricity rates for home photovoltaic systems. At present, the parties are working on removing obstacles that have to do with land use.”

Sde Boker makes solar energy viable

By Ofri Ilani

The afternoon Negev sun shone brightly on the solar panels at the National Center for Solar Energy near Sde Boker. The center’s director, physicist Prof. David Feiman, squinted into the light. “After 30 years of research on solar energy, my life’s work of experiments in how to produce electricity from the sun, I can say this year that I know how to manufacture solar energy that will compete with conventional energy,” he says.

A few months ago, the center’s scientists managed to develop a new technology of solar, or photovoltaic cells, that Feiman says will make the production of solar energy so efficient that the cost of the photovoltaic cells that convert solar energy into electricity will be negligible.

In an ordinary solar panel of the type in use today, the silicon that makes up the cells is very expensive, making it a costly product. According to Feiman, photovoltaic cells carry out two functions: First, they change the light into electricity, their essential task; second, they store the light.

“The principle is to focus the light using little material,” Feiman says. “We constructed a large, parabola-shaped glass plate. It not only absorbs the light, it also focuses it on one point, a thousand times more than regular sunlight.”

According to Feiman, “an ordinary photovoltaic cell, which is 10 by 10 centimeters, normally produces one watt of electricity. We managed to extract more than a thousand times more - 1,500 watts. In this way, the cost of a cell is 1,500 less, becoming almost nothing.”

“No one has ever produced so much electricity from a solar cell at this strength,” he says.

The Solar Energy Center is now collaborating with an Israeli start-up company, Zenith Solar, to create a home system of solar cells based on this technology within about a year. “What is good for the home is also good for the country,” Feiman says.

Israeli solar energy technology is already used extensively in power stations throughout the world. At the center at Sde Boker, which belongs to the Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, two solar panels are installed, each one about 100 meters long, moving in synch with the sun. An oil pipe is at the center. The panels, built by Sollel, a Beit Shemesh company, are not based on photovoltaic cells, but rather focus the light on the pipe, causing it to heat up. Heat produced by panels of this type turn into steam, which moves turbines.

Last month, Sollel signed a contract with the U.S. company PG&E, to build the largest power station in the world, in the Mojave desert in California, which will have about 7,000 such panels and will cover about 14 square kilometers. It is due to go into service in about four years, providing 553 megawatts of electricity.

The British-born Feiman has lived at Midreshet Sde Boker since 1976, when he began researching solar energy. A world expert in the field, he says the economic model he has built will allow a significant part of Israel’s energy to go solar within the decade.

“We’re paying about 10 cents per kilowatt/hour. If the government taxes the Electric Corporation one cent per kilowatt/hour, it will amount to about a half billion dollars a year. In a decade, we won’t need any outside funding. If we want to solve Israel’s energy problems, we should stop building conventional power stations and build a solar power station every year of one gigawatt - equal to two of the type of station Sollel is building in California.”

The National Infrastructure Ministry said it would “soon be determining electricity rates for home photovoltaic systems. At present, the parties are working on removing obstacles that have to do with land use.”

Comment by Andrew Lavin — August 8, 2007

Am I reading this correctly? A single solar cell can now deliver 1,500 watts of electricity? If so, isn’t this a truly monumental breakthrough, allowing a given residence to produce all the power needed with just a few solar cells? Or is the cost of this parabolic lens prohibitive?

Comment by William — August 13, 2007

Please, do you think, somebody, would help with this type of getting energy to the people who has passed an terrible earthquake, at the south of PERU ?
With love,
Marcia

Comment by Marcia Malaspina — August 18, 2007

It’s amazing. It will be very useful to keep the environment clean. please, ensure that, the technology will be reach the innosent and democratic countries like INDIA.

Comment by parthasaarathy — August 21, 2007

even mirrors focussing sunlight on silicon cells should improve efficiency of PV.

Comment by STELIOS PETRIDES — August 22, 2007

I WOULD LIKE TO LEARN THE CONTACT INFORMATION FOR ZENITH SOLAR.

Comment by KENNETH AUEN — August 22, 2007

COULD YOU PLEASE SEND ME THE CONTACT INFORMATION FOR ZENITH SOLAR. I WOULD LIKE TO CONTACT THEM TO LEARN MORE OF THE HOME USE SOLAR SYSTEM THEY WILL BE DEVELOPING.

Comment by KENNETH AUEN — August 22, 2007

This is great. I am with a company which is currently in the business of selling solar pv modules and are now inmterested in manufacturing the same. I would like to know if Zenith Solar can sell to us the solar cells they produce currently.

Comment by Noel Kongin — September 6, 2007

This is great stuff! I would like to contribute to this effort through the purchase of these cells/a system for the home that I am about to have built here in Missouri, USA. Please contact me with contact information for Zenith Solar.

Comment by John Brooks — September 6, 2007

This is phenomenal news! I saw the technology on CNN it is very applicable to Africa, where we have abundant sun year round but poor electricity grid penetration at present.

Comment by Bube Kemibaro — September 7, 2007

It is very promising technology.

Could you please send me the contact information for Zenith Solar.

Comment by Fabian — September 8, 2007

please let me know the capital cost per MW of capacity & the variable cost per KWH of energy generated. Iam interested to set up a solar generation plant in India.

Comment by mohan kejriwal — September 11, 2007

COULD YOU PLEASE SEND ME THE CONTACT INFORMATION FOR ZENITH SOLAR. I WOULD LIKE TO CONTACT THEM TO LEARN MORE OF THE HOME USE SOLAR SYSTEM THEY WILL BE DEVELOPING

Comment by shaun — September 13, 2007

Please have Zenith Solar contact me for information on their commercial and residential products. Thank You, Dub-

Comment by Dub — September 17, 2007

please, let me know where in Europe can I find a producer of Zenit Sollel Feinmann panels. Thank you.

Comment by carlo Forni — September 30, 2007

Hi,

Can I get the contact details of Zenith Solar, would be interested in promoting and knowing more about this technology.

sunil

Comment by sunil kumar ladwa — October 14, 2007

This is great! Please send me more information about this new technology and Zenit Solar’s contact information.
Thanks,
Miguel

Comment by Miguel — October 20, 2007

Zenith Solar? The company doesnt even seem to have a website.
I share the scepticism of George Crabtree, director of the materials science division at the US Department of Energy’s Argonne National Library:

While Faiman’s work is a “promising approach” to large scale solar energy, the technology has yet to be proven in areas like system integration and total cost competitiveness, he said.

“It is likely to take several more years before the other aspects of CSP (concentrated solar power) technology are sufficiently developed and proven ready for deployment. CSP technology is like digital audio ten years ago,” Crabtree said.

http://www.nextenergynews.com/news1/next-energy-news10.16b.html

Comment by Hasib — November 1, 2007

I’m presently selling solar hot water systems for
homes and pools in Florida. Please tell me of a
Stateside source of these much more efficient
solar PV cells.

Comment by Gary Cook — December 18, 2007

I am an Israeli expert in this field
i share the comment by Hasib on November 1 2007

I also tried very hard to fiend Zenith Solar in Israel -it seems that the company is still on paper

Comment by Ami Elazari — December 24, 2007

Please send information of how this can be applied to a residential rural area for self existing on a do it yourself basis. Costs would be good to have also. Send to 2432 Celestial St., Redding, Ca., 96002

Comment by Harvey Dale Sorling — February 22, 2008

i would like to know more information about this new breakthrough and if there is a change to make bussiness in the near feature in Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico.

Comment by Ruben Varela — March 7, 2008

Can you please advise a contact email address for Zenith Solar?

Thank you!

Antonio

Comment by Antonio Dimichino — March 26, 2008

I am a reasearch student on “Solar Energy” since 2005 and please provide me the website/e-mail detail of “Zenith Solar”.

Comment by C.B.Chandran — March 28, 2008

I have a few solar project in the USA. Please send me more information about your product

Comment by moshe krienberg — March 30, 2008

I would like to get more info about Zenith Solar system: contact person, email address, phone.
In which stage the project is?

Comment by J.Malik — April 1, 2008

I would be grateful if you can send me the contact information for Zenith Solar

Comment by Alex — April 6, 2008

I would like to get more info about Zenith Solar system: contact person, email address, phone.
In which stage the project is? Garden street 1, Luanshya, P.O.Box 90887 Zambia

Comment by E.KALDIS — April 7, 2008

A company using similar technology but not for deserts is Sopogy. They are creating building scale solar thermal projects. Sounds like a smaller versions of solar parks.

Comment by T. Rumaki — April 9, 2008

please could you let me know the adress contact or telephone contact fron david feinmann? he is the director of the panels program.
kind regards

Comment by JUAN CARLOS — April 28, 2008

i would looking email adress
please send me
elad@gosolar.com

Comment by elad — May 18, 2008

Excelent Development. Please let me know if these solar cells are available, or when we can expect to have the first production models for home and small offices.Regards Riaan

Comment by Riaan Kotze — May 27, 2008

Hi,
I am the CEO of Bajan Commerce. I am interested in this energy breakthrough. Could you please forward contact info for Zenith Solar.

Regards,
Jide Oke.

Comment by Jide Oke — June 10, 2008

please send me the contact information for Zenith Solar, regarding this new solar development

Comment by henry — June 29, 2008

[...] the rest of the world is beginning to take notice. We’ve already told you about some of the Israeli projects in California. Now, as JTA reports, companies across the US are looking to partner with clean-tech companies in [...]

Pingback by IsRealli - the State of Israel official blog » Green Energy Attracts Foreign Investment to Israel — July 16, 2008

I spent some time and immediately noticed that the non-linearity contrain of solar cells, even for the multi-junction cells which apparently is designed to operate at higher sunlight concentration to produce higher efficiency. However, even on the website of major multi-junction solar cells, they do not tell you clearly the relationship of the linearity relationship and underlying constraint. Does 500X concentration of sunlight equals to 500X output from the cells ? I can be quite sure it’s not. But how much ? Most companies in the CPV business are still in the pilot (or even in the dreaming) stage and they don’t want to tell you the answers (or they do not know exactly). The apparent difficulty of CPV in commercial justification lie in its advantage in bringing several times (not thousands as they always claim) more wattage but you have to spend several times higher cost to build it. Claim from Feiman of the hidden ‘Zeneth’ company of producing 1.5 kw from a 10×10 cm solar cells has no solid scientific ground and sounds like the invention of a plane that can fly within 10 minutes from New York to Tokyo. If that is true, all the major solar flat panels manufacturers delivering hundreds of MW solar panels a year can immediately close their doors as a typical solar panel can only deliver about 200 W at a ‘huge’ size of around 1.3 m x 1 m. Can any real experts in solar cells give us some comments and insights pls ?

Comment by Badminton Uncle Charlie — July 25, 2008

The story regarding Mr. Feiman and Zenith Solar is a fairy tale. I knew it immediately when I saw the story on youtube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXyJrFKwjrc
The mixing of the phoney with the real doesn’t work with anyone familar with physics. The solar cell would melt, no matter what it was made of. It appears that, once again, the reporters took the story at face value, much like the “car that runs on water” stories. Yet, the darn thing is all over the web! I could stand next to the Mona Lisa and say I painted it. It wouldn’t make it so.

Comment by Ed Marston — August 5, 2008

i am not much aware by this technology.will you please send me information regarding solar power mirior technologies and web site details regarding all this.

Comment by Suman — August 12, 2008

This is an interesting post, and the first comment raises interesting scientific issues. I noticed that many people have commented on whether such technology is at all possible, so I posted this question in a scientific forum, and received interesting input.

If you, too, have doubts (or wish to share your thoughts) about this technology, feel free to join the conversation: http://www.scienceforums.net/forum/showthread.php?p=428395

Comment by mooeypoo — August 14, 2008