by Aryeh Savir
Israel has set a new all-time record of generating electricity from renewable energies, according to a statement issued by Israel’s Electric Company (IEC) on Tuesday.
The IEC reported that the record was set last Wednesday when the peak production stood at 1295 megawatts, accounting for 16.4 percent of the total production of energy in the country.
In addition, the peak production in photovoltaic (PV) energy produced by converting light into electricity stood at 1034 megawatts, constituting about 80 percent of the total production of renewable energies.
The IEC stated that the capacity of renewable energies currently stands at about seven percent of the electricity provided to the country.
The Israeli government has been supporting solar energy research since the establishment of the state, with the intention of harnessing science to help a country with few natural resources.
It has also approved laws and several government decisions aimed at encouraging the production of energy via renewable sources.
Israel has developed some of the world’s most advanced solar energy equipment and enjoys sunshine almost year-round.
It hopes to generate 10 percent of its energy from renewable sources by 2020 and is developing several projects to ensure this, including a 240 meter (787-foot) tall solar tower in the south which can generate up to 121 megawatts of power, providing about one percent of Israel’s electricity consumption.
Israel was crowned as the leading force in 2014 in the development of clean technologies, beating 40 other countries.
Its renewable energy innovation has received global recognition, with innovative ideas such as converting wind into electricity, technologies for clean water and other inventions that stimulate a more energy-efficient economy.