Arava Power (APC), a leading solar developer in Israel, has signed agreements with 15 agricultural cooperatives to construct mid-size solar energy facilities. The combined output of the proposed solar farms is 100 MW. The investment for the solar projects is NIS 2 billion (US$533 million).
Jon Cohen, CEO of APC, said that the company’s expertise in rooftop solar installations and mid-size solar farms along with its collaboration with Siemens provides the best value for its customers for these projects. Cohen added that with 300 MW of competitive market created by PUA, any company with enough experience and capability will have an advantage over their competitors.
Cohen appealed to the PUA and Ministry of Infrastructure to enhance the approved quantity of solar energy generated from mid-size solar farms to 1000 MW. Cohen added that to meet the Israel government’s goal to generate 5% of energy from renewable source, 300 MW is inadequate and a minimum of 1000 MW is required to achieve the goal.
Yosef Abramowitz, President of Arava Power, said that the company is planning to build large-size field in all the proposed mid-sized locations thus adding to the company’s pipeline with another 500 MW.